dotHack GU Volume 2: Resemblance
by Insaneiac The Maniac
Summary: A continuance of GU that follows Rebirth. The mystery behind AIDA leads to more mysteries, many of which resemble the fabled truth. But in his search for the truth, what costs will Haseo have to pay?
1. Chapter 1: A Happenstance

**Insaneiac: New notes up top as I restart this up again. After purchasing my copy of Reminisce and fanboying over it… and weeping like a pansy at a particular scene involving Haseo and Alkaid…my epic GU story is going to get a slight rehashing before it takes over as the top of Insaneiac the Maniac's projects. Just a couple things being altered a bit, some choice words used in the process of this chapter, and a new name. As the current trilogy will be named Rebirth, Reminisce and (tentatively I believe) Redemption, this will match the "R" titled pattern. So, from here on, this is .Hack//GU Volume 2: Resemblance. Enjoy **

_Disclaimer: I do not own dotHack//GU or any of the amazing dotHack universe. A couple characters in this are property of mine, and the story is, for now, mostly mine. While some things in my original plan were already elements of the game's incredible plot, almost everything else (unless I note it) is my intellectual property._

_Summary: At first glance, a tragedy. At second glance, a friend. At third glance, oblivion. A different path along the road known as .Hack//GU sees an entirely different outcome. This is my Volume 2 of .Hack//GU_

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_This was once The World  
It was once a beautiful place…  
Yet this is not my world…  
This world is tainted, impure…unholy.  
It lacks order, it lacks life. It lacks…a hero  
Both my mother and my father would understand  
This place is an evil place, where the demons play.  
I am not here to care for it, and he is not here to lead it.  
For he has lost his hope for this World…  
And I have lost my love for it.  
**--------------------------------------**_

"I don't like getting stupid answers! So stop sugar stepping my questions and ANSWER ME YOU OLD MAN!" Haseo screamed at the top of his lungs as he glared murderously at Yata. To the rear of himself were his two comrades, the Tribal Grappler Pi, and the Steam Gunner Kuhn. Behind the both of them was a petite figure clad in green with a large white hat upon the top of her head, blond hair poking out from under it. This girl was lying prone on the floor with her eyes wide open as flat shades of empty amber. That was Atoli, one of Haseo's closer friends and someone the deeply resembled someone even closer. Another Harvest Cleric named Shino.

"Haseo! Show some restraint and respect in front of master Yata!" Pi reprimanded, surprised to find that she received no reaction at all. Usually, Haseo would at least spare a 'shut up' in response to her.

"Answer me…" Haseo growled as he continued towards the leader of Raven with a furious glint in his eyes. "Answer me right now!"

"With what Haseo?" Yata finally spoke, glancing to the side to lay eyes upon Atoli. "How to wake her? What has happened to her? How we can cure what we are not even sure has yet occurred? What do you want an answer to, Haseo, when you aren't even sure of the question you want to ask?" Yata questioned back to the distraught and angry Adept Rogue without so much as a falter in his voice. He adjusted his gaze back to Haseo and hardened his eyes considerably, watching the loud PC move backwards.

"Why…" Haseo stuttered dejectedly as his steadfast fury suddenly dwindled to a flickering anger. "Why was the AIDA there? In that white room with those lockers?"

"I cannot say at this time. It was, however, an obvious assessment that AIDA would have relations to that room."

"Can't say or don't know?" This time, Pi had progressed beyond using words and delivered an open handed smack to the back of Haseo's head. He had whipped a hand up to the back of his head and clamped it tightly in response to the blow. Growling angrily, Haseo turned his head slowly to Pi and glared at her angrily. "Whatcha do that for you hag?!"

Forgoing the comment on her age, Pi met Haseo's glare steadfast and nearly pushed him backwards with just her eyes alone. "If you are not going to respect master Yata, than he has no reason to answer your questions." Haseo was just about to throttle Pi when Yata coughed silently, single handily regaining all the attention back to him. He turned from a screen that he was viewing, and waited until it blinked out of existence before continuing on.

"It doesn't matter at this time." Yata's words nearly resulted in Haseo going into a homicidal streak, but his urges to disembowel were stowed when he heard a groaning come from the prone Atoli. All eyes turned to the Cleric, before turning back to Yata. The aforementioned guild master, however, was not bearing his calm eyes as he usually did. This time, his eyes were as wide opened as Haseo had ever seen them as being.

"Shouldn't you be a little happy ya old fogy?"

"I would, Haseo, had I not just been contacted and informed that Chigusa Kusaka…better known as player that controls Atoli…was just rushed to the nearest hospital." Even though his facial features displayed an inordinate amount of shock, his words still showed no faltering in their steady pose. "Initial reports describe her as in a comatose state. So the fact that she appears to be coming to here lead me to believe that this is not, at least right now, a happy event."

As Atoli sat up slowly, she glanced around her immediate surroundings, blinking in a very confused fashion. "Where…did the lockers go?" Atoli muttered softly, before her attention turned to the foursome that were now staring at her in as much a shocked gaze as Yata had just been. "Umm…is everything alright? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

**_----------------------------------  
dotHack//GU  
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**_Volume 2: Resemblance_**  
**_------------  
Chapter 1: A Happenstance  
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"ARGH!" A newbie screamed out as he collapsed to the ground in a pile, crumpling face first into dirt. As his feet met the ground that his face had just gotten acquainted with, his entire body turned entirely grey. Behind him was a cloaked individual with a rather hefty bayonet in right hand that was shaped in the form of a sickle, with a pair of large gun barrels on either side of the blade. On the hand that could be seen is a cobalt gauntlet that ran to his wrist. His cloak was a simple black hooded one that he had covering his body at all times. Walking towards the body, the player killer planted his foot firmly into the back of the dead character's head, using it as a stepping stone of sorts as he moved along.

"Damn noobs." The man muttered angrily as he continued along his way, slipping the steam gun back underneath his robes.

"Shoooot." Another voice called. Turning his head to face the newcomer, the cloaked figured looked to meet one of his companions. Like himself, he was an Adept Rogue that had a special character design, just like himself. He wore a helmet made of yellowed bone that covered his head to the same shape, revealing only his mouth and eyes. At the top of the helmet, the bone extends into a point. His body is garbed in a closed robe, with the left side overlapping the right side. The hue of his rob was quite similar to his helmet, with a dark grey trim that ran along the edges of his robe and around the cuffs at his wrists. On his hands was a pair of studded leather gloves, the left one a deep black and the right one a pale white. His pants were simple baggy slacks that had much the same hue as his rob, and he had a pair of plain leather boots for shoes.

"K1ngf1sh3r. So where is lovely Cero?"

The sound of a hard foot stomping caught bother their attentions as their eyes turned to the cloaked figure's immediate right. At the ledge of a hill stood a taller female character, glancing down unhappily at the cloaked figure. She had a tiara the slid underneath short grey hair that was longer in the front and tended to cover the left side of her face. In the battle-style tiara was an indentation that had a jeweled ring filling it in. The right side of her face had a red tribal tattoo that left only a handful of patches of the paler skin that her character had, and her eyes were a slightly violent shade of purple. She wore sleeveless battle-vest that covered her upper torso entirely, and white, elbow high gloves were worn on her hands. At her shoulders where a pair of tattoos that looked like large, demonic eyes. Her lower torso was adorned in grey slacks with black lines that ran in a spiral format down each leg that held just right to her frame, and a pair of dark blue boots. Along the sides of her battle-vest were long strips of cloth that flickered about when she moved.

"Up here, idiot!" She growled before she walked off the cliff, front flipping in the air and landing nicely landing on her feet. "Chaos Reaper, are we done here? No offence, but what's the purpose of killing off noobs? We're far too strong to waste time on these greenies!"

"I see you're as pleasant as always, Cero." K1ngf1sh3r taunted as he flicked his wrist in her direction, garnering himself a fiery glare in return. "Ugly ugly…that gaze just doesn't suit you any." He replied aloofly, waving his right hand in the air in a dismissive fashion.

"Neither does your company, F1sh3r." She replied tautly, turning her head away and sighing. "Can we please just go back to our field now? Why do you find it so necessary to waste these stupid noobs anyways? They're all not worth it any. We get better items from those stupid monsters in our field anyways. If you hate them so much, then why do you like coming to the novice fields and going psycho like that?"

"Cause, I want to get some infamy around here. After all, where do all noobs shout and pray to for help and saving?" Chaos Reaper replied with a lighter tone than he had before, crossing his arms in front of his chest, outside his cloak. "I want to see this "Terror of Death" and see just how terrible he is…"

K1ngf1sh3r sighed loudly as he knelt down beside the corpse and poked it gingerly with his finger. "You're looking to off Haseo, aren't you? That is so like you Chaos. Want to put the Chaotic Triumvirate above the Terror of Death do we?" His face lit up in a rather unhealthy smile as he launched him back to his feet and turned towards Chaos Reaper. "Ambitious aren't you, oh great leader? You know though…with all this ruthless killing you're doing, Moon Tree is going to want to snap us in half…but when you want something, you don't stop, do you?" F1sh3r spoke in a knowing fashion as he smiled a demonic smile. "So where do you plan to do this foul deed? In a field, in a dungeon, in the Arena?" F1sh3r spoke cheerfully, tilting his head and smiling. "Oh maybe you're going to call him out directly?"

"First thing's first…I want to pay a visit to that place again…" Reaper spoke in return as he stalked off towards the chaos gate, stepping on top of a noob corpse. "Because…even without her there anymore…One can still feel her presence if they simply close their eyes."

**_------ Serpent of Lore ------_**

"Why…is everyone staring at me?" Atoli muttered hastily, her eyes flickering amidst the group. True to her nature, she really hadn't realized yet that something was substantially wrong. Lifting a hand, she pointed at Yata as he floated on his platform, eying him strangely. "I don't even know who you are…Haseo?" Atoli added as he eyes rested on the aforementioned fighter, one of his eyebrows lifted slightly more than his other one. "What's going on, Haseo?"

"For starters…" Yata began, negating any attempt for Haseo to speak. "…you're supposed to be logged out." The sheer lack of emotion in his voice sent a spark of anger rippling through Haseo, but he decided that, just this once, he would stop himself from calling Yata something nasty.

"I…I'm not supposed to be here, am I?" Atoli muttered quietly, pressing her index fingers together nervously. "I promise I won't say anything, really!"

"Beyond that, log out. Please." Yata commanded. Haseo whipped his head back to glare at Yata, but was caught halfway by an equally vicious glare from Pi that seemed to freeze Haseo's head in place. Kuhn just stood off to the side, mentally trying to put together the fact that a coma patient was still playing her character in the world.

"Oh…Okay…" Atoli muttered, looking at Haseo again. "I'm sorry, Haseo." With that, she attempted to log out of the system.

And failed miserably.

"Huh?" Atoli murmured quickly as the blue rings faded just above her and left her standing in the same spot. Her voice was clearly a mix of confusion and surprise. Everyone slowly glanced back at her, the various glares and thought filled stares turning again into shocked ones. Except for Yata that is, who continued to look on in a composed manner. Quickly, she tried again to log out of The World and was once again denied exit. She wasn't even able to see the error message that would normally be sent in cases like these. She tried to log out again, this time quivering on the floor as she did. Again, nothing happed.

"What…huh…" She muttered confused to the air around her, before she tried another idea. She shot her hand up to go for her headset, so as to wrench it off, and instead grabbed a handful of her character's blonde hair. It took her a moment, as she began to tighten her hand on her hair, feeling the textures and design of it. It was as real as her own hair seemed to be. Her eyes continuously opened wider and wider as she began trembling.

"I can't log out…I can't take my headset off…" She whimpered, just loud enough to be heard by all. She pressed her hands into the ground, as though she was searching for the computer that she was attached to. She tried to look calm at first, but he search became frantic after a while. "Where's my computer…Where's my computer…" Atoli kept whimpering before she brought both her hands back to her chest and stared at them, a look of horror fixated on her face. "Why can't I log out…Why…why…**WHY?!" **She screamed before frantically backing away into a corner. "This isn't right…"

"Atoli…" Haseo spoke first, trying to figure out just what to say at that point. He managed a step before he felt an arm cross over in front of him. He glanced over and saw Pi shaking her head slowly, as if warning him to not do anything. Oddly enough for the arrogant adept rogue, he decided to stop himself and take the silent advice Pi was giving him.

"Atoli." Kuhn started in place of Haseo, while the multi weapon simply glared at Pi. "I know this is really bad right now, so you're probably really confused and really scared right now." He continued until he was just in front of the character before kneeling down and glancing at her, making eye contact on the same level. "But don't worry. Haseo, Pi and I, we'll get it all fixed up okay. Before you know it, you'll be back in the real world." He was wearing the same smile that he would usually win his lady friends over with, but his eyes bore a sincerity that seemed to calm the distraught girl down. "Just…think of this as a vacation. Time off from real life, where you can just kick back and enjoy a carefree life for a while. It's like being at a Beach, only you don't have to go home anytime soon. So stop looking so distraught and smile. You look much cuter when you smile." He continued in his squat with his eyes locked carefully on Atoli's eyes, waiting for her to give him a nervous nod and then try to put a smile on, a slight cast of red upon her cheeks at the words. "There you go! Besides, you've got Haseo working with you here. He's too stubborn to let something like this remain unsolved. If that isn't enough to put you at ease, then you're just too nervous for your own good."

"Well…his 'abilities' with women finally paid off for once." Pi spoke quietly, glancing to the side in discreet manner. She knew Kuhn had heard her, because his relaxed position instantly became mildly tense. Haseo, on the other hand, had has arms crossed over his chest and was muttering angrily about not being stubborn, instead calling it fiercely determined.

"Cold…" Kuhn whimpered in response before scratching the back of his blue-haired head.

It did not take long for Haseo to remember his initial purpose in being inside the Serpent of Lore. Turning on his heels, Haseo focused his glare back on Yata's back, as he had turned around to read a new set of text. It seemed that he felt the eyes on him, as he paused the scrolling of the information and turned to Haseo.

"This phenomenon has occurred only once in the past, though I am unable to find any record of it. It appears that the heads for CC Corporation have removed all further documentation of the event." Yata stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Removed…THEN UNREMOVE IT! You're an admin aren't you!?" Haseo yelled angrily, stomping his foot down to accentuate his point. "And for that reason, why the hell would the remove something as important as **_coma patients winding up trapped in a game_**?" Haseo growled, catching a sudden and startling eep from the only member that was (formerly) out of the loop. Haseo slowly turned his head back towards Atoli, his eyes opened and his face pasted with an 'oh-crap' look upon it.

"I'm…in a coma?" Atoli muttered, shaking as she processed the thought in her head. She slowly raised her trembling hands in front of her as she shook, before wrapping them around herself and shaking her head furiously. "This can't be happening!" The smile faded away as the distraught one again fixated itself upon her face.

"Good one, Haseo." Pi and Kuhn muttered at the same time, Pi in a reprimanding tone and Kuhn in an exasperated one.

"As for your request, Haseo…the files that dictate any of this information has been completely removed from all forms of media. No paper articles, or news pieces, or even radio broadcasts contain information of the event. I do, however, have a single name that may…or may not…have some degree of bearing towards this phenomenon." Yata dictated as he tapped his closed fan on his hand. He had easily grabbed all of the attention with his sudden announcement; bring weary and tired eyes towards him like a magnet draws metal.

"What's the name then?" Kuhn asked with his head slightly tilted as he watched Yata just as eagerly as everyone else."

Yata turned back to the screens and pulled a specific one up; expanding it greatly and having it hover over his head with a seven letter long name filling in the screen. Confused looks where swapped amongst the members of G.U., and just as soon snapped back to the name in front of them.

"Who the hell…is Tsukasa?" Haseo grumbled confusedly as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

* * *

A/N: Thus, the story starts slightly anew. Okay, just because the sequel to Rebirth is out does not mean this is simply a noncannon retelling. I have hand crafted this plot carefully, making sure that it is a .hack worthy plot that is worthy of .hack fans, being an absolute one myself. I think I went through thirty different plot ideas before settling on this one. Of course, not a lot of the plot shines through right now…just that Atoli is stuck in the world, a la Tsukasa once was. Do not worry; this isn't going to be a repeat of //Sign.


	2. Chapter 2: Cloudy Skies, Cloudy Heads

**Insaneiac: I see that chapter caused a favorable reaction. Seems people like this so far, even though it probably looks like a bad dotHack//Sign rip-off right now. Well, please don't despair, I am not one to simply put out a cheap knock-off. It just is not my style. Also, let me address a very likely concern right now. I said there would be pairings, but that doesn't mean that the characters involved in the pairings are going to be altered to fit. NEY! I will not sacrifice any of these characters like that. If the pairing does not feel right due to characters not being themselves, then why even bother!**

**Oh yah. More of the new players, and another new character that seems to believe something rather odd about Haseo.**

**Finally, to the patient readers that took my delay and did not grill me for it, I apologize. After doing some decision making, I can assure you that this story has gained my full attention for my online works. Rest assured, this path in GU will be fully told. Also, I realize now that some of my clever guesses in planning are actually plot points in GU as well, so there are some spoiler warnings. **

_Disclaimer: I do not own .Hack//GU. I wish I did…cause if I did, Alkaid would have such a bigger role in the first game, and Atoli would have had a difference voice actress._

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Chapter 2: Cloudy Skies, Cloudy Heads

* * *

"And go figure, there's still nothing here." Cero grouched, waving her hand throughout the large church. "Not a soul, not a statue…only that stupid mark from Tri-blade or whatever the heck it's called."

"Tri-Edge." K1ngf1sh3r corrected as he sat on one of the benches, glancing up at the reflective ceiling. "Yup…nothing here at all. Aside from lil ol me in the ceiling." Rotating his head leisurely, F1sh3r cocked an eyebrow at the back of Chaos Reaper, who had been sitting in front of the statue-less altar for a good few minutes now. "Betcha he's AFK."

"Wrong." Reaper chimed in as soon as F1sh3r closed his mouth. "I am just…filling myself with that presence. Perhaps neither of you can feel it, though I'm not going to believe that for a moment, but I can. And I'm willing to bet the Terror of Death does too. I'm just going to make sure this presence conveys him a message…" Chaos added, before lying down an odd item shaped like an envelope on the altar. "And now, for the hook." Chaos continued lightly, standing up slowly. His cloak still covered his entire body perfectly, aside from his one hand that he let hang out of the cloak. He became absolutely still for a moment before a ping sound filled the air. "Now, Haseo's little present is locked in place, waiting for its rightful owner to come and grasp it. Let the rumor board lead the fool here, I'm done." Chaos spoke in a cryptic fashion before walking out of the building and towards the chaos gate.

"That's it?" Cero muttered, rubbing her forehead wearily. "You really haven't changed at all, have you?" But Chaos didn't reply in the slightest as he made his way to the gate, and promptly gated out of the field and, a couple moments later, the game.

"You're so surprised by that fact?" F1sh3r cracked, whistling in shock. "None too bright lately, are you Cero?"

"Shut up, F1sh3r…I'm leaving for a while." For a moment, her generally unwavering unpleasantness in her voice shifted to a softer and more approachable one. "We're going to go for a bit of a walk. I'll mail you when we get back." With that, Cero promptly followed suit, proceeding to the gate and leaving both the field and the game.

"I guess some things never change…" F1sh3r mumbled to himself, resting the back of his head against his hands before turning on his heels to the altar. "Well, except for the obvious of course. I wonder just where you've gone, Aura…and just what had to happen to scare you away." Slowly, the Adept Rogue marched up to the alter, and leaned down to look closely at the letter the hovered above the altar. He tilted his head once, eying the chain as well. "And just what do we need to do to bring you back I wonder. After all, this world needs a caretaker and a mother to love it. That is you, isn't it? That's why we're here, is it not? It is, right? So…how does a silly PKK fit into this whole thing?" F1sh3r murmured to himself, before shrugging once and walking off. "Oh well, that bridge is one we'll cross sooner or later. Until then…who knows."

And with that, the last of the Adept Rogues left the field, allowing the silent floating of the letter to do its job and attract its intended recipient.

_**------ Serpent of Lore------**_

For a brief moment, Yata's eyes flickered to the side at the name, but were quickly reattached to Haseo's unhappy glare. "To answer your question, this is the name for a player character in the first version of the world. While, again, the information has been removed from access even by the higher ups in CC, we still know that this person was admitted to a hospital within the general vicinity of Tokyo. Again, information was lost due to executive decision making as well as outside interferences."

Haseo was close to adding in another unpleasant retort when Kuhn broke ahead and spoke before him. "Yata, is there any way to find this Tsukasa?" Kuhn sighed as he felt Haseo glaring at the back of his head and simply waved it off. "Sorry Haseo, but we can't keep focusing on the obstacles. Not now at least."

"I know that!" Haseo snapped as he turned his head to the side. "I know…" He took a short breath before putting a hand against his head. "Fine…what can we do to find Tsukasa? Or the player behind him?"

Yata, in an act that he knew would rile Haseo up, smirked at this and turned around to face the slowly revolving serpent. "Not easily. CC corp is very thorough in the removal process. My position gives me limited access to certain files and folders, but the chance of information of that nature being within them is very thin."

_**------ Raven Guild Hall ------**_

Pi had left a while back with Atoli, taking the poor Harvest Cleric outside the Serpent of Lore to help calm her nerves. While she figured it would have been more effective for Kuhn or Haseo to have taken her from the room, she knew exactly what they would have done. Right now, Atoli needed someone that could actually comfort her and actually take the time to make sure she was okay. Seeing as how she doubted anyone would simply be okay with being stuck inside an online game, she did not believe either of the action oriented males would quite make it to that point with Atoli. She would likely have faked being okay with it until they left, not wanting to keep them busy.

However, she was not truly sure if she was the best person for this. After all, (and it was something that ate her alive every time it came back to her) she was not completely unlike Haseo. She knew how to slow down and how to take orders, but she was still a more action oriented person herself.

"What's going to happen to me?" Atoli spoke weakly as her hands shook. Pi shifted her eyes to glance at Atoli, making eye contact, before sighing and looking forward again. "Am I going to be this way forever? What's going to happen to the offline me?"

"Young lady, I apologize if this seems cold at first, but you need to restrain yourself. If you continue to let the worst case scenarios torture you, it will only make the situation harder for you and for us." She would regret speaking like that when she was alone, she was sure of it. "Be assured, Haseo and Kuhn aren't going to stand idly by and do nothing, and Master Yata will do what he can to assist them in this. One way or another, we will get you back to your real body."

"But…what happens if I get PKed in here? Will I die for real?" It was a very valid and very frightening question that forced her to think about the possibilities. After a moment of silence, she pushed aside answering that particular questions and settled for answering a potential concern linked to the question.

"For the time being, you should not go into any fields. We need to take this slowly, and that will be hard enough with Haseo." Pi returned, grinning grimly as she recalled the brash and headstrong Adept Rogue. "And the risk of permanent damage being done to you would probably give him cause to flip." _'And not to mention…if you do look like his special person…'_ Pi sighed unhappily as she considered this before pressing her palm against her forehead.

"Oh…Sakaki is online…" Atoli suddenly spoke. For a moment her trembles ceased and a flicker of something not completely unlike joy flashed through her stance. Even Pi became aware of the usefulness this provided. After all, despite Haseo's rather unfounded disliking of the Moon Tree guild member, he was a very respectable player that has always been gentle with Atoli. Then a whole new realization dawned on her that made this completely and utterly useless.

"Atoli, there is one more thing I would like to request of you. I would appreciate it if you could keep such a phenomenon like this silent. The last thing we need is a panic and I wholly believe that news of this nature would cause that. I know it's heartless to ask thi-"

She was stopped by a sudden short mail. From, of all people, Sakaki.

"_Would you please bring Atoli to Moon Tree? I wish to speak on some issues with the level headed representative of Raven…and Project G.U." _

Atoli was well aware of the frozen stance of Pi, and was soon aware of the stunned look that was fixated on her face. For a moment she was worried that something had happened to her M2D when suddenly Pi came to and let out a long and shaky sigh.

"Come on, young lady. We have a meeting at Moon Tree."

_**­------ Serpent of Lore------**_

"Haseo, where are you going!?" Kuhn suddenly shouted as he watched Haseo turn around and start storming out of the hall.

"For a walk. If I stay here any longer, I think I am going to kill that smirking bastard!" Haseo growled before turning around. "And mark my words Yata. If I have to start going around the damn globe to find this guy, I will. I refuse to let some crap excuse like 'CC corp going and hiding this' as a reason to simply let Atoli suffer. And when you get a chance, you can tell that to whoever is above you." And with that, Haseo continued out of the guild hall. A few moments later, the indicator that Haseo had logged out showed up on screen and caused Kuhn to let out a long breath.

"It's worse than what it is too." Yata spoke as Kuhn turned back to him. "The AIDA that attacked Atoli did something else as well."

"Better tell me now. It'd be best if I filled in Haseo later rather than you." Kuhn suggested as he glanced backwards. "After all, I don't think Haseo will respond well to any more bad news from you."

"True." Yata granted before turning back to face Kuhn. "Atoli is an Epitaph-User. Her's is Innis, the Mirage of Deceit." Kuhn's eyes opened widely at this statement. "I would have spoken sooner, but I saw no reason too. Regardless of this fact, the AIDA had executed a very basic copy program on Atoli. It took a fragment of her Epitaph and used it to construct one of its own. Albeit a very incomplete one."

A long moment of silence lingered as Kuhn processed the information. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"I cannot say what it is right now. It means AIDA can absorb Epitaphs. To what ends and means I cannot see. It is most…peculiar. And most intriguing. I noticed a slightly similar method of this with both Endrance and Pi as well, though Endrance was exposed longer which gave the AIDA time to make a more complete epitaph." He was still not fully sure what the full affect of this was, and as was usual in his manner, he wanted to get a complete picture. However, it did currently show that AIDA and the Epitaphs are undoubtedly linked in some fashion.

"So…is it safe to assume then that AIDA is responsible for Atoli being in this state?"

"It is never safe to assume things." Yata reprimanded before crossing his arms over his chest. "But I can confirm that Atoli's current condition is linked to the fragmented epitaph her character currently wields as well as the AIDA that had attacked her." Yata was well aware of Kuhn beginning to walk away and broke off from his explanation.

"Yata…you were wrong to keep this from us." Kuhn added as a last shot before leaving completely. Leaving Yata all to his own in the Serpent of Lore.

"Perhaps."

_**------ Offline ------**_

Ryou Misaki, in a rather tempestuous mood, locked the door to his home and stormed off down the road. He lived at a place that was not particularly busy and so more often than not, the roads were clear. He was on his school's break as well, so he had more free time than he would normally. And while a lot of his time was spent on the World to help revive Shino from her coma, he did spare some time for a head clearing walk. Otherwise, he might lose it and turn into Piros. That was enough motivation for anyone to keep their head from getting too clouded.

He very casually brushed a strand of his light brown hair out of the way as he began attempted to piece things together in his head. He wore simple clothes comprised of a beige jacket overtop a plain white shirt with a pair of black slacks. He had other things on his mind than simple fashion choices. Like how Atoli was in a coma, but unlike Shino, she was still in the world. In a way, it almost made him even angrier. Although he brushed off the emotion quickly, he could not help but be briefly sour about that fact. Then his mind wandered to Yata, who he really wanted to just beat into a pulp. The one person who could supposedly see all did not even know who the hell "Tsukasa" was.

"Why even give us the damn name if he doesn't know who the hell he is?" Ryou grumbled, angrily ruffling up his hair. He walked for a time in silence, simply trying to process information in his head and start getting things to make sense to him. He was not sure how long he had walked for before he felt an urge to look up, and he turned his head upwards to glare at the cloudy sky above him. He was about to mutter something when he bumped into something. His left leg was what felt it the worse and Ryou quickly let out a hiss of pain before glancing up at what he bumped into.

He had a retort forming on his lips that was quickly dashed when he saw a woman with deep blue hair and a pair of square framed glasses sitting in a wheel chair. She wore an ocean blue sweater with light blue sleeves and a white skirt that extended down to her knees. She was in the midst of readjusting her glasses and looking at Ryou. Behind her, with hands gripped on the handles of the wheelchair, was a second woman. Her hair was considerably short than the first's and was a dark brown hue. She wore a rather boyish looking attire comprised of a thin red windbreaker and yellow shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. Unlike the woman in the wheelchair, she regarded Ryou with a colder stare.

"I'm…sorry. Didn't mean to…" Ryou struggled in apologizing, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to make it all fit together. It was not that he was poor at apologies, but rather that he was having difficulties putting one together right then and there.

"You look like someone who's lost." The wheelchair bound woman replied as she folded her hands on her lap. "So it's okay that you bumped into me."

Momentarily confused by her choice of words, Ryou gave his head a slight shake both in the attempt of shaking up some sense in his head and in response to her words. "I know this place like the back of my hand. I'm not lost at all."

"She meant in thought." The brown haired woman replied in a 'you-are-such-an-idiot' tone of voice. Ryou's head shot up from the disabled woman to the one behind her and glared. He was met with a half smirk that faded when the other woman turned her head back and glanced up at her partner.

"An…it's okay." The blue haired woman spoke before turning her head back to Ryou and smiling. "Are you walking simply for the sake of walking, or is this more of a 'clearing-ones-head' sort of walk?"

Ryou sighed before crossing his arms over his chest and cocking an eyebrow at the women in front of him. "Isn't it kind of odd for complete strangers to suddenly be asking questions like that?" Ryou nodded his head once before turning his eyes to the side and avoiding the ice cold glare the one called An was feeding him.

"True, I'm sorry." The woman replied before lifting a hand to her chest. "My name Mariko Misono." She turned enough so as to hold out the same hand towards An. "And this is An Shoji." She leisurely lowered her extended hand back to her lap and smiled at Ryou for a brief period, inwardly suppressing a chuckle at the face he had. It was a face that said "that really was not an invitation to introduce yourself."

"Generally…this is where you introduce yourself back." An started rather bluntly and flashing a dull look to Ryou. "It's a simple courtesy really."

He had to resist spitting back a retort to the girl, something that took all the will power he had to keep from doing. Forcing his glare off of the infuriating woman, he willed himself to stare at Mariko. "I'm sorry. I'm Ryou Misaki." He did his best not to sound aggravated, and was thankful when if sounded as welcoming as he intended on being. "And…to answer your first question, this would full under the 'clearing-ones-head' bracket." He slid his hands into his pockets and sighed out as his head once again filled up with his problems, and a grimace formed on his face.

"Has it helped any yet?" Mariko continued.

"Frankly, not at all." He sighed once before turning slightly, putting his side to the pair of women and glancing back down the way he came. "Didn't really expect it too either. It's not like I'd walk into the answer to all my problems." He gave a shrug that spoke more of a mental exhaustion than a physical one. "Life has never been that easy for me before, so why the hell should it start now?"

"Life isn't that bad you know. It could be worse." An added in with a slightly softer tone than she had before. "It can always be worse." Ryou flashed her an odd glance and was met with a face that bore both soft and hard qualities at the same time. An nearly flinched when she felt a hand rest softly on her own, and glanced down to see Mariko smiling warmly at her.

"Something has happened to a friend of mine…something bad. She's in a lot of trouble, and a lot of it is my fault." Ryou started before giving out a long sigh and letting his head hang off his shoulders slightly. "I don't know why I'm telling you people any of this, but I feel like I can for some reason. There might be a way to help my friend, but I need to find someone who has practically disappeared." Ryou was not even aware that Mariko and An had begun moving past him, and caught them just as the turned around to face him on last time.

"Ryou, I'm sure you'll find this person. No matter how large this world may seem, it is tiny when compared to destiny." She stated before turning to look down the road that Ryou himself had come from. The two slowly began to move away from Ryou when An raised a hand and waved without turning her head to him.

"We'll be seeing you." An added at the very end, just as the turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Ryou stood there for a moment later before shaking his head and turning back to walk towards his home.

"Am I bound to meet the weird ones in both the world and the World?" He grumbled to the air around him.

_**------ Mac Anu Square ------**_

"So…let me get this straight…" Silabus spoke rather carefully as he stared down at a most peculiar character. It was a male PC with no real way to identify the class he was. This was mostly in part from the fact that the character in front of them looked no older than six. He wore a plain white long sleeved shirt of sorts that had black lines running from the shoulders of it to the wrists, where there was a circle of velvet cloth. He wore a pair of dark blue plants of some sort and wore no shoes with them, instead settling for a pair of what seemed to be red socks. On his head he wore a flat beret of sorts, much like Atoli's character, that was dark red with three black lines circling it. Peaking out form the sides of it was hair that was mostly black but with some yellow mixed in as well.

Some things, among the fact that this was a human type character and near infant like, were very odd. Like the fact that it was missing a name. Or perhaps the fact that his eyes had changed from blue to brown to violet during the initial conversation between the two.

"You…are looking for Haseo specifically." Silabus continued, turning his eyes quickly to Gaspard and sharing a brief moment of eye contact that said 'Oh, he's going to love this' without needing any words. "Because you need him to help you find your father." The child like character nodded in response once before glancing to the side and at Gaspard. Neither of the Canard members were being condescending in the slightest; they were just struck by a sudden case of disbelief.

"You do mean Haseo, the Terror of Death…right?" Gaspard added, before holding his hands above his head. "I mean, he's kind of scary and a bit angry at times. Are you really sure you want his help?" If anything, the kid's face lit up at the mention of his title, and nodded furiously.

"Haseo is the only one that can help me." He replied before glancing back at the green clad Blade Brandier. Silabus gave a long sigh and turned to glance at Gaspard.

"I'll give Haseo an Email. We need to tell him about the guild extension too." Silabus stated before going AFK and going about the task.

_**------ Offline ------**_

Ryou just logged back onto his system when he noticed three unread emails in his inbox and a number of unread forum posts and news pieces. As he usually went about doing, he checked his email first and saw a message from CC corp and an urgently marked message from Silabus. With a shrug he opened up the email from Silabus and began reading it.

_Hey Haseo, we have a bit of an issue going on at the Guild Shop damn here. It's…well it's really hard to explain. Someone is specifically asking for your help so… Also, seems your victory at the Demon Palace earned us a guild upgrade! We're being bumped up from a beginners guild to an intermediate one. Isn't that great Haseo? Looks like Canard is going to start becoming a more popular guild now. We can go over the specifics on that once you get here._

"An issue at the guild shop? If Bordeaux is causing any more trouble I'm…" Ryou muttered before backing out of the inbox and logging into The World. Inwardly, he was ever so slightly glad that something new had come up. While it was a distraction from a much more pressing matter, it did serve as something else to focus on and a chance to get a little more level headed himself.

_**------- Mac Anu ------**_

Blue rings formed around a spot in the Chaos Gate room of the Eternal City, and Haseo came to existence in its place, crossing his arms over his chest as the rings disappeared. He quickly took a look to his friends list and saw that almost all of them, save for Piros, were online. However, Pi and Atoli were both labeled as busy.

"Maybe the old hag is finding something out." Haseo muttered as he walked towards the doors leading out of the Gate room. Within a short few moments, Haseo reached the Canard Guild shop, expecting to see either Grein or Negimaru lurking around, or perhaps even Canard's number one enemy herself, Bordeaux. Instead he found Silabus and Gaspard standing in front of a small boy who was switching between staring at one or the other. Haseo paused to try and tell just what class the kid was, having never seen a child like PC before similar to that outside of a beast-race character. When that failed, he shrugged once and began walking towards them.

"Silabus, I got your email. What seems to be the problem?" Haseo spoke rather flatly. His eyes turned from Silabus and Gaspard to the kid in front of them, who had turned around with lightning speed at the very sound of his voice. Haseo managed a cocked eyebrow before the kid, who he now noticed had no name, leapt at him and nearly tackled him to the ground. Haseo stumbled backwards a little bit before whipping his head down at the kid and glaring at his head in a mix between anger and confusion. "HEY! What the hell! Get off!"

"I FOUND YOU MOMMY!" The kid screamed at the top of his lungs, suddenly causing everyone in the square to stop what they were doing and stare at the place where the sudden statement came from. Haseo, now no longer surprised and angry but rather mortified and more lost than he had ever been before, slowly lifted his gaze and glanced at his guild mates. They were both changing from similar shocked expressions to ones that seemed to teeter on hysterics. Haseo's eyes narrowed on them before turning back down to the kid.

"…What…" The now flabbergasted Adept Rogue managed in a very dull voice as he tried to process what he had just heard. Unfortunately for him, the kid responded by squeezing him tighter and repeating his words with the same ear shattering volume.

"I FOUND YOU MOMMY!"

* * *

A/N: And now we go from a bad Sign rip off to an even worse Legend of the Twilight rip off. Be assured, this is going to be original. Some aspects of other installments might have sneaked a bit into this whole shindig, but I promise that this will be completely original. Some aspects of Reminisce are being incorporated now, like the guild extension, so as to smooth out some parts of the story. The actual plot is still a 100 self conceived before I even touched Volume 2, so even if they match up, I am not simply stealing from the game. I can say that for the most part, they are different. The most key aspects are completely different. Well, until chapter three, be well. 


	3. Chapter 3: Truth in Trust

**Insaneiac: Welcome to chapter three. Mommy Haseo finds out he needs to go daddy hunting, and in the process of trying to explain to the kid…gets himself into something brutal. Not to mention that this chapter marks the entrance of a personal favorite character into the story. **

**Also, note that all original fields are made up of words that may or may not exist unless otherwise stated. Also, a bit of an adult situation in this one (You'll know it when you see it) and your first hints at what may or may not be the potential main pairing.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Truth in Trust

* * *

_**------Chaotic Dishonest Mysteries------**_

Cero stood on the central island of the rather unique field and let her eyes trace her surroundings. The field in and of itself was unique in that it was a cloudy prairie type field, yet only composed of two sections. One was a very large field with a large diamond shapedhole in the center it. In this hole was the second island that, after a short distance from any of the bridges leading to the mainland, turned into a hill. There were four bridges that stretched from the sides of the central island and to the mainland, one on each side. This hill rose higher than normal ones in prairie fields, and on the top of it was an inexplicable set of furniture. Four very comfortable dark wood chairs with scarlet cushions that had silver trims to them, and a matching oak table. And then there was Cero, standing at the edge of the hill with her arms crossed over her chest and an impatient look painted onto her face.

She had short mailed the only member of her trio that she trusted as soon as she got online, and was more than a little unpleased with waiting. However, there were clear differences in her being now then before. For starters, her face was relaxed and not in a permanent scowl. And she did not have an aura around her that said "I want you to go and mutilate yourself with a pipe".

As her gaze swept from the Chaos gate to the bridge, she realized a large group of monsters had come back. And just as she figured, at that exact moment the blue rings that signified someone entering a field formed at the Chaos Gate. It took a little longer than usual, as K1ngf1sh3r had decided to carve up the collections of different monsters in his Dance Macabre form. A few graceful spins with razor sharp fans followed by a few barrages of flaming rocks made quick work of the various groups that moved against him. At long last, he made it to the nearest bridge and sprinted up to the top of hill and slid his war fans back into storage.

"Ugly ugly…they're tenacious today, eh Cero?" Without pausing to actually make sure she heard him, F1sh3r pulled a chair back, rolled into it and propped his feet onto the table. "I mean, this is usually not the best place in the world, but today they're just ravenous."

"You think Reaper knows what he is doing?" Cero replied, ignoring the valid question in a manner that spared any offense. "Or…better yet. That we can trust him? After all, Reaper is in line with…" She paused as she turned to gaze at her comrade, who was staring into the cloudy sky. "…_him_…"

"I know how you feel. It's hard to realize that it has come to this. Perhaps even harder to realize who our allies even are." A long sigh escaped K1ngf1sh3r as he glanced at Cero and, despite his eyes being offset by the skeletal mask, flashed sincerity. "And I guess it gets even harder when we realize just how different we are from then." He lifted his hand up and glanced at it, seeing blood that was not there. "I sure a certain Twin Blade PK would be proud of us, if not a little tickled by our choice in comrades."

"Still…" Cero muttered before sitting down in a chair and allowing a grimace to form on her face. "Anyone from CC corp, even fired employees…are untrustworthy. So I'll ask you again. Do you trust Reaper?"

"With my deepest and darkest secrets…no. I didn't seven years ago, and I'm not starting now. With my life when we are in battle, without a doubt." And K1ngf1sh3r simply rolled back on his chair and stared back up into the sky. "After all, once a knight, always a knight." He closed his eyes tightly for a moment as he listened to the sound of his chair creaking as he rocked back and forth on the hind legs. "In other news, what did Miss Cero _actually_ want to speak about?"

Despite this, she did not hear him. Or rather, she did but chose not to respond to that in particular. Instead she rested her head against the table and sighed. "This isn't my World anymore." She sad sadly before gripping the edges of the table. "And I'm not sure it ever will be once again."

_**------ Mac Anu ------**_

"Okay Silabus…this is a joke right? I've been stressed so you decided to hire the brat to make me feel better. Well, you failed…again, so get him off me." Haseo said in a gravely unamused voice while the child size player continued to hug him with reckless abandon. "And I don't care how. If you have to pick up Gaspard and hit it with him, then get ready to pick him up."

Silabus frowned at this and rubbed the back of his head uncertainly, dimly aware that Gaspard was now swapping nervous looks between Haseo and himself in fear. "Gaspard, he wasn't serious about that."

"No…no I was." Haseo responded, still unamused. He turned his head to Gaspard and fixed a rather malicious and unhappy gaze on his Canard guild mate. "Dead serious."

"Haseo, this isn't a joke!" Silabus stated before turning to Gaspard. He very briefly mouthed the word "run" before turning back to Haseo and suppressing yet another smile. "He seriously believes you're his mother." This time, a snicker escaped his mouth before he could stop it, and he was dimly aware of how Haseo had seemingly grown six extra feet. He now felt like he was staring up at a ravenous and destructive monster, rather than simply staring at eye level with one.

"I am not his mommy!" Haseo growled.

"MOMMY!" Gaspard and Silabus both flinched at the loud and high pitched voice, and then slowly shrunk backwards when they realized Haseo would react.

"SHUT UP!" Haseo yelled in retort, and was surprised to see him squeeze even harder. "I am NOT your damn mommy kid! I'm not even a woman. How the hell could I be your mommy when I'm not even the same gender as a mommy?" _'This has got to be some cruel joke. Maybe Bordeaux is still behind this…That doesn't make sense. She wants me dead, not embarrassed."_

"Haseo is my mommy. I know because…" The kid paused for a very long moment before grinning and glancing up, smiling widely. "…I just know."

The black rogue let out a long sigh before glancing at Silabus. Said Blade Brandier was still struggling not to laugh and losing. "Haseo…" Silabus managed before glancing back at Shop Acorn and using the break in eye contact to gather himself together. "He said he needed your help to find his father."

"Tough!" Haseo grouched before grabbing the kid by the shoulders and pulling him off. "Listen to me brat. I'm not your mom." He paused for a moment before speaking again, this time slowly and enunciating each word. "I. AM. NOT. YOUR. MOMMY!"

"Mommy, I have a name." The kid stated in a rather timid fashion as he rubbed the palm of his hand against his chin. He was not aware that Haseo was glaring at him with violent eyes and trembling ever so slightly. "Daddy gave it to me. He told me it was a name to be proud of." He flashed a rather goofy smile after stating this and glanced at Haseo with unblinking eyes that eerily changed to match his own eye color. Haseo cocked an eyebrow after the change had occurred before shrugging and crossing his arms over his chest. There was silence for a few seconds as Gaspard, Silabus and Haseo eyed the child, the latter with growing impatience. Finally, a disgruntled sigh came from the Adept Rogue before he bent down and stared at his "son" with a rather unamused glare and another frustrated frown.

"So? What the hell is your name then?!" Both Canard guild members and the nameless kid flinched at his rather loud admonishment. "Look, I'm just going to start calling you "brat" unless you tell me your name, and once I start it's not going to stop. So out with it kid!" Haseo was met by a rather enthusiastic nod from the kid, where he very nearly wound up head butting the ground. This caused Silabus to choke a little bit more on his laughter and Haseo to groan.

"Daddy calls me Gamorn." He replied cheerily as he watched Haseo.

"Whoever gave you that name needs to be found and killed." Haseo snapped, before glancing rather dully at Silabus. "You said there was something about Canard?"

"Oh yah! Because you became Emperor, Canard is automatically getting a promotion to an intermediate level guild hall." Silabus was smiling enthusiastically at this. "We just have to head over to Dol Dona in the Theta server and go to the home there. Well, you would actually, since you're the guildmaster." He explained happily. "This is it! Canard's going to start getting a bigger name now. We'll attract more people and, in turn, be far more able to help them too."

"Which means I might have some help running the shop!" Gaspard replied, clapping his hands together and smiling widely. "Which means me and Piros can go on more adventures! Huzzah!"

"Alright then, I'll held to Dol Dona and set it up. I'll let you know when I'm done." He turned to try and walk off when he felt a tug on his arm. He turned around long enough to remember the original reason for coming down. "What?" He groaned as he addressed Gamorn.

"What about me mommy?" He whined, flashing a sad face up at his supposed mother.

"I don't care, AND STOP CALLING ME MOMMY!" Gaspard and Silabus, once again, flinched at the reaction from Haseo.

"But you ARE my mommy!" For a moment, Silabus and Gaspard could not help but admit that Gamorn had inherited his mother's stubbornness. They both shared a glance and then chuckled as they realized just how mean that thought was. Haseo, on the other hand, turned around completely to face the kid and made rather fierce eye contact. The kind he made with Bordeaux during the tournament before the match really got started.

"Okay, listen up brat. I am not your mommy." Haseo said sternly. "I can't be your mom, simply for the fact that I…" Haseo said with a much louder emphasis on the last word, while waving a hand around his chest area. "…AM A MAN! That means I would, if anything, be your DAD. Mommies have lumps on their chests while daddies don't!" To emphasize this, Haseo's waved his hand out to the side of him at chest level.

Or at least, that was his intent. It was dashed rather badly after he made contact with someone. In fact, due to where his hand was, he made contact with the exact "lump" he had been trying to tell Gamorn that he lacked. Haseo broke eye contact from Gamorn and slowly lifted his head up, glancing at both Silabus and Gaspard. They were the picture of fear with their eyes open as wide as plates and their jaws completely unhinged. Still not fully registering the situation, Haseo slowly pulled his hand away and then put it back. When he made contact with the exact same thing he had the first time, he pulled his hand away and stared at his palm. He gave a very short pair of breaths as he tried to realize that he had just palmed some random woman's chest twice. His hand fell limp and to his side, and Haseo himself slowly began to turn his head towards his unfortunate victim.

The first thing he saw was a pair of brown eyes that were lost between being enveloped in total shock and pure fury. He could see that said person was trembling rather fiercely, as if struggling to break through shock and proceed to violence. She had an admonished blush on her face that was almost as red as her hair. And in noticing this, Haseo could not help but let an even more aggravated sigh escape his lips. Turning back to Gamorn, he gave him a glance that held a dim awareness for what would no doubt be coming next, and was even slightly aware of the victim pulling her arm back to attack.

"I hate you." Haseo said in a very deadpan voice before the fist came down like a hammer on the back of his head. Silabus, Gaspard, and Gamorn all cringed at the sight of Haseo going down like a sack of bricks against the ground and cringed again as the former Demon Palace Emperor herself, Alkaid, began to stomp her foot down on the back of Haseo's head with reckless abandon.

_**------ **__**Setting Eternity's Night Moon ------**_

"Ah, thank you for accommodating my sudden request." Sakaki said calmly as he extended a hand of welcome to Atoli and Pi, as they reached the warp point that would take them to the council room. "I trust that you have a number of pressing questions you would wish me to answer, correct?" He continued, addressing the pink haired Tribal Grappler with his words while his eyes focused on Atoli.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Pi retorted simply. It was obvious at that point, however, that the Edge Punisher's attention was firmly fixated on the cleric, who was standing in a sheepish pose with her arms behind her back and her head turned to the side. Her right hand gripped her left forearm tightly as she refrain from making herself a presence.

Sakaki, with the introduction out of the way, turned to face his treasured member. "Atoli, are you alright?" He knew there was a great deal that was amiss at this point, both from outside knowledge and simply how Atoli was presenting herself. "It was AIDA, was it not?"

"So, you did know." Pi interjected, addressing Sakaki with a matter-of-fact tone. Sakaki paused a moment before glancing away at Atoli and back to the other visitor.

"Beyond the fact that I take care of the members of my division on a whole, I do. And so do the rest of the Seven's Council. We are also well aware of the potential threats that AIDA poses. There are a number of things we at Moon Tree are well aware of." He explained before resting his hands on Atoli's shoulders and gazed into Atoli's golden eyes. "Like, for instance, Epitaphs."

"That's classified information!" Pi exclaimed with a face that was alive with shock. "How do you know this? Any of this?" Sakaki face never changed from the calm and stoic image he had greeted them with, even as he registered Pi's reaction.

"Sakaki…" Atoli finally spoke, and Pi was well aware just how weak her voice was. As if Atoli had turned around and slapped her with all the might within The World, Pi was aware of what was the primary reason for her leaving Raven in the first place. It was still incredibly important to discover just what Sakaki and the rest of the Seven's Council knew in regards to Project G.U. as well as informing Yata of the unsavory turn of events. In time she would make sure to either be the one to accomplish these goals or to be a factor in their accomplishment, but it was something that would have to happen down the line. Right now it was more important to tend to Atoli and make sure that she would be alright.

"Do you have a private area where we might discuss the young lady's situation?" Pi questioned as she motioned a hand to Atoli. She pushed her glasses up off the bridge of her nose before sparing a short glance at the Harvest Cleric.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Sakaki calmly stated as he turned to the warp gate. He waved a hand in front of it twice before turning back to Pi and Atoli. Pi raised an eyebrow after she received a notification of a new member's address and a subsequent party invitation. "The home for Moon Tree can act either as a field or a root town. This means that one can establish parties within here. Further more, the private areas of all the Seven are locked down to prevent uninvited guests from entering. They can only enter them if they are in a party with the area's owner or part of the Seven's Council. The only exception to this is Master Zelkova. His area is only accessible to him and him alone." Sakaki explained as he waited for Pi to accept the invite. It took a moment but she eventually did accept and joined Sakaki's party, to which the Moon Tree captain smiled. He turned and waved his hand at the gate one last time before initiating the warp.

Sakaki's private area was a very calm and serene one that seemed to match the mood of its owner. The design and atmosphere of it matched the rest of the home quite nicely. Like the council room, there was a three walled structure that sat at the opposite end of the area from the warp point. In the center of the area was a large island with a great willow in the center that stretched down all around the island. There were a pair of bridges in front of them, and likely there was a pair of bridges on the opposite side of the island as well. Around the island was a body of water that was at complete and utter stillness, looking more like a mirror than water. As both Pi and Atoli, who had never been here before, took in the area with a sense of awe (albeit a reserved awe in Pi's case), Sakaki walked across one of the bridges and past the large willow.

"I would like to extend my congratulations to you, Pi, on being the first system administrator to ever even see my special room in Moon Tree." Pi stared in poorly masked shock as Sakaki spoke and pressed her hand against her forehead in slight aggravation.

"The private areas of the Seven are protected from system administrators." Pi stated, not even bothering to question just how he knew she was an admin. "Unauthorized blocking of admin observation is a bannable offense, you are aware of this?"

"Quite. However in the case of Moon Tree, these are not unauthorized. Actually, it is quite the contrary, as we carry express permission to allow the maintained blockage." Sakaki explained as he whisked away the bang of green hair from his eyes. "Now then, what is it you would like to know?" Sakaki offered as Pi strode past him and towards the willow in the center.

"Before that, I would like to explain the situation that Atoli is currently facing." Pi spoke as she leaned against the tree in the center of the island and position herself so she could stare at both Sakaki and Atoli. "It's a very complicated one, and may take some time to fully explain. However, I need your assurance that you will not tell anyone else of this. If word of Atoli's current situation was to actually become public knowledge, it may very well cause a panic."

"Then I request the ability to inform the rest of the Seven of this. If a matter concerning one of our own is as pressing as you have mention, and if it does in fact concern AIDA, then they would need to know of this." Pi closed her eyes for a moment as she considered the request. There was already a lot that she would need to explain to Yata when she returned to Raven. Her face tightened for a moment before she opened her eyes and made firm eye contact with Sakaki.

"Alright, I can agree to that. However, I'm trusting in this being kept quiet. It may be that Raven and Moon Tree are going to become allies as far as it comes to information, and as such it will require trust." Pi explained, pushing her glasses back up off the bridge of her nose. "Now then…" And Pi began to explain the situation regarding Atoli to the captain of Moon Tree's Second Division

_**------ Mac Anu------**_

"Just what the HELL were you doing!?" Alkaid yelled indignantly as she watched Haseo push to his feet. She had her hands on her hips and was feeding Haseo a glare that was almost as violent as the onslaught of pain she had only just unleashed. "I knew you were a filthy cheater, _Emperor_..." She began, mockingly stating Haseo's title. "…but I didn't think you were a pervert! Up until now at least!"

Haseo was about to go on the defensive when he suddenly realized that Gamorn had disappeared altogether. _'Great…he goes and gets my ass kicked and then disappears on me. How the HELL am I going to explain this to Alkaid?!'_"Maybe _you_ ought to watch where you're going then!" Haseo was now positive that the assault on his head had killed more than just a few brain cells. "It's not like I wanted to touch you anyways!"

Both Silabus and Gaspard cringed as Alkaid's hand shot out and wrapped around Haseo's neck. This was going to get so much worse before it got any better and the both of them knew that. "Umm, oh look." Silabus started as he took a slow step backwards. "I got a short mail from that…new guy I helped…before. Comon Gaspard, let's getthehellout…I mean let's go see what he wants." Before Haseo could even choke out a sound of protest, his two guild mates had already abandoned him.

"SO…It's MY fault that you palmed MY chest?!" Alkaid growled out as she tightened her hand around Haseo's throat. Grunting, Haseo swung his hand out in front of him and batted away her arm, gaining the freedom his neck was in dire need of.

"It's not like I did it on purpose! I was trying to show this kid the difference between a man and a woman!" He really was not sure where he would go with this. In fact, he was not sure if he was even in control of his own mouth at that point. "It's none of your damn business anyways!"

"OH like hell it's not!" She shot back. The two had both become ever so slightly aware of the gathering crowd, yet neither was distracted by the spectators. "This is the last straw! Haseo, I'm going to take you down once and for all!"

"Not this crap again." Haseo groaned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And I don't have time to bother with your stupid rivalry."

"Then you're going to make time Haseo!" Alkaid shot back as she walked towards the Adept Rogue. In response, Haseo shifted away from her until his back was against the Shop Acorn booth. Alkaid leaned forward and began poking his chest with her finger. "There's a tournament opening up for the Holy Palace. That is where we are going to settle this." She flinched as Haseo placed his palm on her forehead and pushed her backwards. With a bit of distance in between them again, Haseo shook his head once in response.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm not going to bother. And you won't fight me in the tournament because I'm not entering." He meant for that to end the conversation and turned to leave as though it were closed, and managed a step before a hand wrapped around his wrist and stopped his departure. He let a very long breath escape his lips before he turned and glared at the Twin Blade in frustration. He was dimly aware of a slightly scary and rather evil gaze in her eyes. Like a shark that is stalking its prey just before it goes for the kill. He could help shake this feeling that Alkaid had been hoping for him to say what he had.

"Oh, you're entering Haseo. You're going to enter because _we're_ going to be on the same team. And after we win the tournament itself, I'm going to proceed to stomp your cheating self into the ground to claim both Empires." Alkaid challenged with a smirk that said what she had not bothered to. _'And you're going to lose too!'_

And Haseo bought into it. "And what's that suppose to mean?" The frown faded for a face of indignant confusion and growing aggravation.

"Let me spell it out for you. We are going to find a third member, and then the three of us are going to enter that tournament. And once we beat Sirius and become champions, you and I are gonna duel it out to see who the _REAL_ Emperor for both the Demon Palace and the Holy Palace is." She still wore the same smirk that said the same thing it had just a while ago. "That way, when it comes down to you and I at the end, there will be no hiding trump cards or anything. It'll be a real match between two people that know everything there is to know about the other." Haseo's frown turned into a scowl as she explained it to him. "And no _cheating_ as well. Because I'll find out just how it works, and then all I need to do is counter it before you can really use it!"

Haseo struggled for a moment as he listened to the challenge that was laid out. He really did not care about being Emperor or not and more than that, he was far more concerned about helping Atoli. He wanted to accept it if just so he could humble her in the end. And in the long run, end a fruitless rivalry that was aggravating the hell out of him as is. Although he could not actually tell at the time, Alkaid's shark-like glare seemed to have adopted a hint of hopeful anticipation.

"Alkaid, I-"

A short mail interrupted his response. The message lacked a name or any means of identifying it at all, but its message was the hook.

"_Opportunity knocks, Haseo. Helping Atoli and the Holy Palace are one and the same. Hand on the knob, will you twist?"_

Haseo paused after he had read the message and then reread it again. He was about to read it a third time when he was brought back to reality by a fist lightly knocking on his forehead. Haseo glanced up and flashed an annoyed glare at Alkaid and sighed out before turning his head to the side. _'I don't have any leads to begin with, and this beats waiting for Yata to find anything out.'_ He let a breath out and shrugged before turning his head back to Alkaid and giving her a smirk of his own.

"Alright, fine then. We'll enter the Holy Palace, we'll take the tournament by storm, and when everything is said and done, I'll be glad to beat you a second time." A heartbeat later, Haseo was notified that he had received Alkaid's member address and a couple seconds after that, he caught Alkaid pumping her fist in the air. "You're awfully excited." Haseo muttered before glancing around. _'I need to find whoever sent that short mail…and that brat as well.'_

"I have to do something, so I don't have time to discuss the essentials. Since you're the current Demon Palace Emperor, you'll have to be the one that does the registering. We'll discuss our third member options when I get back, so don't you dare ditch!" With that, Alkaid turned and ran off towards the Chaos Gate. In her wake she left Haseo to deal with a crowd of now rampantly muttering players that were quietly going insane over the sudden announcement. Deciding not to bother about the crowd, Haseo pushed through a mass of people and made on his way towards the Mercenary District to access Raven's home. The short mail, as cryptic as it was, made him wonder. And for once Haseo was sure that Yata might actually be of some use to him.

Mean while, near the quest shop's warp gate was a character with his back up against the wall. His character was dressed in a rather expensive looking suit of sorts with a white and silver jacket and a simple black tie, with a pair of silver and white slacks. He had slicked back brown hair and looked like some kind of game show host. He wore a pair of obnoxiously expensive looking shades that completely blacked out his eyes and a pair of gloves that were a simple black except for the white palms. He wore a large smile on his face, with his head twisted to the side and his right ear aimed towards the center. A low, good natured chuckle escaped him before he turned his head and faced the wall opposite of him. Though no one would be able to tell just by looking at him, he closed his eyes and began composing a second short mail.

"_Fed the dog his bone and pointed his nose towards the rest. I'll wait for him to go to register before part two begins. Hope you know what you are doing Reaper."_

He sent off the short mail before turning around the corner and making his way to the Chaos Gate. "I wonder just what role he'll truly have. A catalyst no doubt, but which kind?" He pondered to the air about him before cupping his chin in his thumb and index finger.

And at the corner the man in the suit had been at just prior, where he had sent off his update to his comrade, now stood another mystery. This one was a Steam Gunner with a very large casing enclosing his left arm. A pair of golden shades hid his eyes from the world as a fragile smile formed on his face.

"And so the characters assume their roles are that of the puppet masters." Ovan spoke seemingly to himself. He walked off towards the Alchemy District with his business done, the smile fading from his face. "Become strong, Haseo. Strong enough to wash away everything."

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A/N: Can you say, plot device? Mysterious forces at work. And of course…after three chapters Ovan finally makes his necessary appearance. And hey, says about as much as he would normally say in a single sitting. Shock and awe folks, shock and awe. And for those who want action, it's coming soon. You'll get some much needed action next chapter. As well as the entrance of another personal favorite...Matsu.  



	4. Chapter 4: Rumors and Messages

**Insaneiac: UUUUUUWAAAAAAAAH! Chapter three must have been the spice that makes things right then. For the people that have itching for some actual action to start taking place, your wish is about to become a reality. Some more mystery to this little shindig as well.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own .Hack//GU. Wish I did, but I don't._

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Chapter 4: Rumors and Messages

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"Alright. There is someone wreaking havoc in a dungeon." A fiery Adept Rogue spoke as he glanced at his two party mates. He rubbed his hands together slowly before dragging his index and middle fingers on his right hand down the side of his face. "I'm not sure how, but we've gotten reports of several novice teams going missing. Even a couple veteran players are gone. One guy came out and was a mess, crying about murder and bodies everywhere. He kept mentioning a single, cloaked figure that stood among all the corpses. We sent in a team already to take a look and we've heard nothing from them." With arms crossed over his chest, Matsu let a long silence take hold over the area before glancing to the side. 

"Someone?" One of Matsu's party members interjected, a Blade Brandier by the name of Yosai spoke up. The most distinguishing feature to his character that was not already copied by other human type male Blade Brandiers was a plain white mask with a hood that covered the rest of his head. He wore a large blue jacket that was left unbuttoned and wore a battle vest underneath with no sleeves. A pair of black training pants and sandals completed the Blade Brandier. "You mean as in a single person?"

They were standing on the bridge that led into the Chaos Gate room of Mac Anu. They had established their party already and were preparing to hunt down the culprit of whatever had happened at this dungeon. While it really was not something too unusual for The World, the targets themselves were. A third of all the disappeared players where under Moon Tree's personal protection. That meant that either Kestrel had decided to wage open guild war on Moon Tree, or there was a single person out there that reveled in causing pain and chaos and was sporting a death wish. The thought of either sparked a nerve in Matsu that proceeded to develop into a seething anger.

"That would be the case. And we are going to go and "talk" with this idiot. I'd go ready for a bit of a fight though. Anyone who goes out and slaughters people under our protection is asking to get an ass kicking and probably couldn't give a damn about being sociable." Matsu made a clear effort to add sarcasm to the word 'talk', indicating that he was not counting on there being any diplomacy in this case. While it was still a disappearance case on paper, Matsu had a feeling that the mystery guy was nothing more than an overpowered PKer.

"Who would attack the Safe List? Not even Kestrel is that foolish." The third member, a tall female Lord Partizan by the name of Hoshiko, spoke softly. This one wore a nearly full suit of steel armor that cut off at the shoulders. At the shoulders of the armor extended cloth sleeves that stretched out just past her hands. Her velvet hair was cut short and left in a messy fashion.

"I don't know about that. It is run by Gabi after all." Yosai added as he crossed his arms. Despite being the taller of the two, Hoshiko simply went silent at this. "Where is this whole thing happening then boss?"

Matsu knew he picked these two because they worked well with each other and, as a whole, the three were a team that moved flawlessly. They almost seemed to be able to read each others thoughts. That being said, when the two were not on missions or training together, there were no bigger opposites. _'Hard to imagine these two are best of friends.'_

"Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field." Matsu stated as he started off towards the Chaos Gate. He began rotating his left arm out to the side as he walked and let a smirk slip onto his features. "I hope this PK knows just how much trouble he's in."

_**------ Dol Dona ------**_

Haseo stepped out of the enlarged guild hall entrance and smiled. With the intermediate guild hall established, he had been able to upgrade his steam bike and turn it into something more befitting of the Terror of Death. A rather complicated custom paint job (that cost him well over forty thousand GP to get done) turned it into a pitch black and velvet beast with a flaming maw on the new frontal plate of armor, and painted on devil wings that extended along the sides of the bike. The bike really was the cherry on top for Haseo though, and the Adept Rogue was more interested in letting Silabus and Gaspard know that the guild was established.

He had already spoken with Yata on the subject of the tournament. It was one of the reasons why Haseo was feeling more pleasant than usual. Yata had been ready to suggest the tournament to Haseo in the first place, and was beaten to the punch on it. In the end, Yata had been more than happy (which was more to Haseo's chagrin than not) to approve Haseo's decision to go through the tournament. While their brief conversation had been relatively fruitless, Yata had been able to confirm the contents of the mysterious short mail for Haseo. Or at least, in so far as identifying that there was a theoretical connection between the Holy Palace, AIDA, and Atoli's epitaph.

He sent off the short mail to Silabus shortly after exiting the home and propped himself up against the wall beside the guards. Haseo still had not forgotten how Silabus and Gaspard had abandoned him to the wolves. Haseo was no stranger to fighting by himself, but seeing as how Silabus and Gaspard were practically the cause of the entire event, they should have stuck around.

'_Speaking of deserters, when I find that brat…I'm going…I'm…'_ Haseo sighed as he considered the various methods of torture he could implement, fixating his glare on the ground. He tried giving it additional though; plotting out what horrible damage he would do to the kid. However, he eventually gives up with a grunt. He crossed his arms rather unpleasantly and continued glaring at the ground. In a very short time, everything had gone exceptionally pear shaped.

"Hey, did you go and see it yet? That weird item?" A voice muttered. Haseo's head lifted from the ground and stared at a nearby group of PCs. It was not an odd thing to catch conversations that other people were having in The World, and while Haseo would normally discount it, there was something else about this one.

"The cathedral right? Yah I read about it. D'ya think it's true about Tri-Edge?" Another said. Haseo's eyes opened as widely as they had ever been before as images of the infamous PKer flashed past his eyes, and as images of Shino's disintegrating body followed.

'_WHAT?! TRI-EDGE!?'_

"No one can take it though. A message pops up. It's mostly a garbled mess, but when you take the letters that are actually there and put them together, it spells out a message of sorts." The third player in the conversation added. "It says 'To: Skeith.'…What does that mean?" There was about to be more discussion when a hand clamped on the shoulder of the person just speaking and spun him around The speaker himself was a character in silver samurai armor with a yellow cloak over it. "Oh, Emperor…what can I-" He tried to speak, albeit nervously. He became dimly aware of a powerful glare in Haseo's eyes, one that could have burned down a small village.

"Where did you see this?" He spoke sternly. He gave the player a moment of hesitation before clamping the other hand on his other shoulder and shaking him. "Now! Where did you find out about this!?" He was nearly yelling, completely unaware (unlike his unfortunate victim, who was stuttering and trembling now) that the other two players had run away.

"I-i-i-i-i-it's on the ru-ru-rumor boards…I swear!" The player, named Maxtt, stuttered nervously as Haseo tightened his grip on the player's shoulders. He looked to be on the verge of crying as his assailant glared even harder. "I SWEAR!!! I saw it on the rumor board…yah. The topic's called…um…um…Mystery Let-t-t-er. PLEASEDONTEATME!" He yelled at the end as he broke down into horrified sobs.

Blinking once, Haseo let go of the character and logged off the game. In his wake was Maxtt, who had proceeded to roll up into the fetal position and sob uncontrollably. Shortly after the Emperor's departure, the two fellow players returned and stared wide-eyed at their friend.

"Dood, are you okay?!" One of the two stated rather loudly, garnering even more of a crowd.

"His eyes were a sea of fury and destruction." He whimpered in response.

_**------ Offline, Forums ------**_

Ryou wasted absolutely no time in pulling up the Rumors forum and scrolling through the topics page. It only took him a moment before he pulled up the sought after file with a look of grim determination. _'If this has anything to do with Tri-Edge…then have I done ANYTHING!?'_

**Poster – Nuada**

_**Has anyone been to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground as of late. It seems Hulle Granz Cathedral once again plays a strong role in the rumors circulating around The World. Seems there is now an item there that is simply floating above the statue-less altar inside. Apparently, the letter is directed to someone named Skeith, once you get through that garbled mess of whatever that comes up when you try and take the letter. **_

_**My Sources have actually detected a rumor regarding this as of late, despite it being a completely new addition to the Cathedral. The say it is a letter from all those killed by Tri-Edge that will only open for a champion. If the rightful owner does not come and claim it, then everyone who has touched the letter falls into a coma. **_

_**There's another as well though. They say the letter is from the person that once stood on the altar and contains all the secrets of the World, including how to save the Lost Ones and Tri-Edge's one great weakness. I don't know about this one, as my source for it was a new person that kept repeating certain words. He was a weird one…**_

Ryou did not bother reading any longer, and signed off the Rumors board as soon as he read the two rumors for it. If any of this was true, which it usually never was, then perhaps he was finally getting somewhere. He opened up The World again, and paused when he saw the official forums announcing there was new content. He sighed and pulled up the forums for the game, and stared at the first topic.

**Topic – Sirius is DOOMED!**

"Oh no…" Ryou spoke quietly, blinking a couple of times before he pulled up the topic. "…Crap…" He suddenly seemed to grasp that the scene he made in Mac Anu would begin to make things more complicated.

**Poster – Eddie**

_**I can't believe it! I was just at Mac Anu and I can't believe what I saw! The Emperor Haseo and former Emperor Alkaid are going to team up to take on the Holy Palace!!! I wonder who they are going to take for a third member…maybe they'll audition for a third member! Can anyone imagine what that would be like; teaming with two of the Demon Palace's most feared! OH man, Sirius hasn't got a hope in hell against a team like this!**_

"Great. As if beating Endrance didn't make me enough of a celebrity before, now I have to worry about this as well. It's going to be real hard to get anything else done about AIDA." Ryou spoke as he closed the topic. Without anything else to distract him, he logged onto The World.

_**------ Delta Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field ------**_

They had walked through two straight forward hallways in the cave type dungeon and noticed nothing wrong or anything out of the ordinary. Quite the contrary, as there were even monsters that lurked in the room before the second hallway. Weak goblin type monsters that may have very well simply died from the glares Matsu shot at them rather than the demonic drill attached to the end of Hoshiko's spear. Yet aside from the monster crew waiting for them, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Then they saw the Blade Brandier hanging from the wall just above the exit of the tunnel, impaled with his own sword into the level. His character had already gone grey and meant that there was no player present, but the fact that the body was not only still in the field but also impaled as such was more than just a shock to Matsu. In an instant, he had his bayonet in his hands and gripped it tightly. The only one whose face had not registered any shock was Yosai, and that was only because he had a mask on.

"How…" Yosai muttered weakly before whipping his head to Matsu and pointing at the body. "How the HELL does that work?!" He yelled before staring back at the body. Matsu did not bother with a response, but rather stared down towards the tunnel on the opposite side of the room. There were two more bodies crumbled against the wall at either side of the tunnel entrance. And upon looking closer, Matsu realized that one of the two was a Moon Tree member. One of the people sent in to find out what was going on.

"Looks like someone left us breadcrumbs." Matsu said stoically as he began walking towards the marked tunnel. "I'm convinced this isn't Kestrel. They might be lowlifes, but this is…this is below even the lowest of the Kestrel scum." Matsu growled under his breath before kneeling beside the dead guild member. He turned away when he saw that the face had his eyes frozen in a shocked stare of horror. This player not only never seen it coming, but it had been instantaneous as well. He was struck and then he was dead with no middle ground to change faces at. A further look verified that this particular member was one of Nala's veteran players as well. Taking a moment longer, he also realized that the other two bodies were Safe List players.

"I need to send a message out to the rest of the Seven. Whoever we're dealing with here is not some chump PKer." Matsu added before standing up. It took no longer than a moment before he realized he was blocked from doing so. "Huh?" Matsu mumbled before trying again. The same result occurred. "The hell?"

"What is it Matsu?" Hoshiko asked.

"I can't send short mail in here. Hoshi, give it a shot." The tallest member of the three paused for a moment as she composed a short mail, and was distraught to find it was blocked. She gave her head a woeful shake and stared at Yosai, who just finished trying the same thing. "So, not a damn one of us has contact with the Sev-"

A death cry echoed through the tunnel they were all standing it, and before Matsu could so much as blink, the three had started running down that hallway. There were still players alive. They made a quick pair of turns before running into another large room with no monsters in it, stopped after taking no more than two steps. Their eyes had all shot open and their pupils shrunk in horror as they beheld the scene in front of them, and even Matsu found himself at a complete loss for words and wit. Hoshi's body had begun to tremble as her eyes surveyed the scene and Yosai's head switched from place to place slowly. Not a one of the three has ever seen such carnage before in their lives.

There were bodies everywhere, grey ones that meant the players were dead. They littered the floor like the leaves from trees do on the turn of summer to fall, and many where impaled into the ground by there own weapons. Those that did not liter the ground where nailed to the wall by swords and spears, most of the weapons impaling the victim through the neck. Each one of them had a face that seemed like they were screaming when they had been PKed. As Matsu swung his gaze from side to side, he not only saw a very large number of Safe List players and the remainder of Nala's team, but also Kestrel PKers and simple novices as well.

"What…the hell man." Yosai whimpered as he swung his head side to side. "How…how…"

"There is so much death here…it's suffocating." Hoshiko whimpered weakly

"It attracts them." A darkly powerful and hard toned voice spoke. All three turned towards the center of the room, and just now saw the other person in the room. The first thing that the Moon Tree elite noticed was the grey body that was impaled on the end of a wicked bayonet and the hand that gripped the side of the dead players face. The hand gripping the bayonet was in a cobalt gauntlet while the other hand was in a crimson one.

It was that image that restored Matsu to his former self, no longer offset by the sheer number of corpses in the room. "Okay, you are in a lot of trouble friend. You've gone and PKed the wrong people and pissed off the wrong guild!" Matsu brought out his trust bayonet and pointed it at the cloaked figure threateningly. "Now, if you want to walk out of this pl-"

"You," The figure interrupted before turning his head ever so slightly towards Matsu, "are annoying." The figure spoke as he turned to the side and the weapon faded away and into the character. "Tell me, what does your guild support? Is it strength? Or is it peace? Did you know that there is no difference between the two?" He carelessly tossed the dead player that he was holding behind him.

"So, you're a philosopher in your spare time huh?" Matsu shot back, unaware that Yosai had prepared to charge. "Well, that's great. Tell ya what…you come stand before the Seven quietly, and I'll make sure that you can spout all the philosophic bullshit you want!"

"There is no difference in what they are, but there are vast differences in how they are perceived. And both are equally useless things without a true center to revolve around." It was as though he were speaking to himself alone, ignoring the words of the Moon Tree members. "Do you wish to know what that something is?" He finally turned his head to face the threesome, and from within the hood flared a pair of golden globes, curved in the manner of a tamed fury. All three stumbled backwards as the eyes bore into them. The only difference was that Yosai's back step put him into a stance.

"No thank you. In fact, why don't you go and tell the Devil…" Yosai began before anyone else could speak, and then charged towards the mystery PKer at full speed. Dazzling Moonlight, his special blade, was poised at his side to cut through his target. He was dimly aware of Matsu and Hoshiko screaming for him to stop, but their pleas were ignored as he leapt at the last moment and descended upon his foe.

"**AFTER I SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!" **He swung with all his might at the side of the cloaked PC, and a clang rang through the room as the blade made fierce contact with the crimson gauntlet of the PKer.

There was no damage done. Yosai's eyes shot open as the other hand swung out and latched onto his throat with crushing strength. "You have no peace…you have no strength…where is yours?" The PKer spoke before tossing Yosai directly above him. In a flash, the sickle-like bayonet was aimed directly at the Blade Brandier, and an earth shattering boom echoed out as the dual cannons ripped into and through Yosai, killing him instantaneously and leaving a look of immaculate horror on his face. As he descended to the ground, the PKer swung the bayonet above him and knocked the body to the side, just in time for Dazzling Moonlight to stab through the PC's throat and imbed itself into the floor.

"Yo…sai…" Matsu muttered weakly, turning to watch Hoshiko's face slip from shocked and pain to furious. With a loud battle cry, she brought out her massive drill tipped spear and aimed it at the PKer.

"Chaos made flesh…the face of a coin in which both strength and peace circulates! I…" The PKer spoke again before twisting one hundred and eighty degrees and firing two shots at Hoshiko. Before Matsu could even blink, Hoshiko was sent careening into the cave wall behind her. A mere moment later, her just removed lance slammed into her chest and impaled her into the wall. The drill-head of the immense weapon was still spinning as her character went grey. Her head slid to the side and stared at Matsu lifelessly, a gaze of mixed horror and sadness on her features.

"…am Chaos Reaper. Leader of the Chaotic Triumvirate."

Matsu's head swung back to Chaos Reaper and his eyes, if possible, were even more fear filled than before. "The Triumvirate?! The bastards that won CC corp's stupid Adept Rogue contest?!"

"One and the same, true to the name." He began to walk towards Matsu, the tamed glare ripping a hole into Matsu's mental blockade. "You know Haseo, correct?"

"And if I do?"

"Then you have a purpose. Purposeful people live purposeful lives and die purposeful deaths." The drill finally stopped, leaving the room in perfect silence. "These people, all of them save for the fool Blade Brandier and the unfortunate Lord Partizan…died purposeful deaths. Or, at least they will have, should you serve _your_ purpose."

"You can make whatever excuses you want. A PK is a PK and no crap like you're spewing changes that!" Matsu growled as he whipped his bayonet out. "And I should know _that_ more than anyone! Don't take this personally …but you can take this purpose crap, bundle it up with your philosophy and your title and then…well, you can pretty much go ahead and shove the whole thing straight up your ass!" Matsu pointed the bayonet and fired at Chaos Reaper. The blast hit and he was hurled backwards and onto the ground in a heap. He slid a short distance before slamming his free hand into the ground and stopping himself.

"I see." He spoke before using the dug in hand to pull himself to his feet. Glancing down at the ground, he swung up his own bayonet and bounced the follow-up shot off effortlessly, dissipating harmlessly. "I will kill again. If you will not convey to him my words, then I will find a tool that will. I could use any of his acquaintances. I chose you because you are the most convenient, but that does not simply make you worthwhile." He slid the weapon away before quick changing to another job, Twin Blade. This time he pulled out a pair of very unique blades that were, in fact, a hybrid of tonfa and scythe. There was a protruding stabbing blade at the tip of the weapon, but the pitch black sickles outshined it entirely. He pulled both into his chest and held them in a crossed arm formation before whipping them both out to the side powerfully. This time, his crimson and cobalt gauntlets were plainly viewable, as well as dark red fabric that ran up the forearms before disappearing into the cloak.

"How cute, you have unique weapons. I bet your mother also says your special every morning too."

"Any player slain by my weapon is soul trapped. They remain in their corpse so long as I stay on the field or in the dungeon." The air was sucked out of Matsu and the words pushed him back a step. "They can hear every word, as the dead should. They are the judges that we must appease."

"Everyone…" He realized just what this meant. "Your weapons…they are all hacked! You're not only a PKer; you're a damned hacker PKer!"

"NEY!" Chaos shouted powerful, his voice causing the room to seemingly tremble. "I…am a knight, a reaper, a farmer and an avatar! I am not a doer of chaotic deeds…I only reap the seeds sewn by chaos eternal!" He took a step forward before dashing at full speed towards Matsu. By the time Matsu had his weapon raised, his opponent was already behind him. Three clean, shallow slices had been made on his player and while the damage was insignificant, it was a sign.

"Haseo…he is more than just a shell needing a purpose." Matsu spun just in time to deflect a blow, but not in time to stop a second which cut through him and damaged his character more than the last three attacks combined had. Again, another attack was loosed by Chaos Reaper and blocked, only for the second follow up attack that cleave right through his defenses. "Haseo is a Key."

"Good for him, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to hear that…BUT I AIN'T TELLING HIM ANYTHING!" Matsu yelled as he went on the offensive now. It may have looked like wild slashing to the untrained eye, but in reality it was Matsu using continuous body motion to form a relentless string of attacks that forced blocks. Steam Gunners were designed for ranged combat, not melee, but could hold there own if it got to that point. Matsu prided himself on being just as capable in melee as he was at a range with a bayonet however. The two began stumbling backwards through the tunnel Matsu had come in from in the first place, and a grand clash formed as both the sickles and the bayonet met in the center. Matsu pulled his free arm back and drove it into the face of his opponent, his hand bouncing off a metal mask and his opponent's face bouncing off the closed fist.

Chaos Reaper went into a back flip and landed neatly on his feet. Matsu continued the assault, and instead of blocking any of the attacks, Reaper began to gracefully back step each individual attack, turning his part of the battle into an invigorating dance that began to enrage Matsu. The fiery Adept Rogue followed up an upwards slash with a fierce stab, and found himself staring at an arched over PKer. Before Matsu could do anything, Chaos Reaper turned the arch into a backwards handstand, kicking Matsu in the jaw with both feet and knocking him onto the floor. Still in the handstand, Reaper pushed himself upwards and went into a half front flip, driving the two sickles into the ground and just missing Matsu's head.

'_This guy…he's amazing. It's as though he's…been in every kind of fight. He knows how to adapt himself to anything…' _Matsu worriedly assembled in his head as he hurried to his feet and took a short leap backwards. He watched nervously as Reaper slowly pushed himself up onto his feet, his back turned towards Matsu invitingly. He shivered as he watched Reaper's head slowly twist towards his direct and glance at him from the corner of one golden eye.

"You will seek out Haseo. You will speak of this day. You will give him my message…and you will be his guide to me." Reaper spoke in a demanding fashion with a voice that was only just above a whisper.

Matsu had just finished an Ul Repth spell before he held his weapon out to the side and glared at Reaper. "I said I'm not your damn messenger."

"Then perhaps I will use one of the other captains of Moon Tree. Perhaps the flamboyant one…or maybe even Sakaki himself…" It was like a statue was talking to him, leaving his opponent completely unreadable. "Like I said, you are a tool. If you do not fit the job, I will simply discard you for a better one." The cloaked Adept Rogue twisted in his stance and held himself low to the ground as he charged Matsu. The Moon Tree Captain was quick in his response, firing at the ground in front of Chaos Reaper. Cursing at the last moment, Matsu twisted to the side and spun around an attempted stab, pressing the gun to the side of Reaper's head and firing.

The PKer went tumbling into the large room from the tunnel, throwing his weapons into the air before planting a hand into the ground and pushing himself into the air. He executed a quick back flip as he hovered through the air and landed softly on his feet. He watched as Matsu charged him with gun held out to the side with a grin that was hidden by the hood of his cloak. Chaos held each hand out to the side just in time for his weapons to land neatly back in his hands, spinning them expertly before holding them out to the side and glaring at Matsu with his golden eyes.

"There won't be another tool for you to use, Reaper. Not after I **Put! You! DOWN**!" Matsu yelled furiously as the two clashed weapons once more.

_**------ Sakaki's Private Area ------**_

"And that, Sakaki, is Atoli's current situation. She is completely unable to log out, and beyond all of that…her actual player is comatose. To be quite blunt, she is a denizen of The World now." Pi finished as she fiddled with her glasses briefly, and then crossed her arms. "Raven, as you will address it from here on out, is attempting to help Atoli…but it's a difficult situation."

Sakaki nodded once before turning his eyes over to Atoli, who had proceeded to sit at the far end of the area, remaining silent and still inside the structure. "Such tragedies…to have it befall such an innocent soul…" He words were heavy as he turned his eyes from her and back to Pi. "I will inform the Seven's Council in regards to this. I am sure that with our combined efforts, we can help Atoli."

"Right…" Pi began, eyes flashing to the side as she briefly considered something. They were quickly back on Sakaki's eyes however. "That being said, how is it that you not only know of AIDA's existence…but of G.U. as well. Those are strictly classified and, beyond that, AIDA can't be seen by the naked eye of normal players."

"I suppose we may thank Lord Zelkova for that information. He is the one that first informed us of AIDA. From that point onwards, we devoted time to studying the threat when we had time to spare. While he do not have something a grand as the Serpent of Lore, Zelkova is more than able to follow them from his own private sector."

Pi rubbed her temple gingerly as she realized what Sakaki was saying. "The more I find out you know, the more it troubles me. And there is no way into Zelkova area?"

"As I understand it, only he can allow access to his area." Sakaki took a few steps forward until he was standing beside Pi, albeit facing Atoli in the distance. "I assume then that, in attempting to free Atoli…our first step is to find a lead?"

A nod was the response before Pi began to walk off towards the gate. "I will talk with Master Yata on this. As soon as we have a lead, I will come before the entire Council with it. Please let me know if the Council comes up with any leads of their own. Are these terms agreeable?"

"Why, of course. You have my word, Pi." The two turned their heads to glance at one another, and used the moment to state what words could not. With the mood satisfied, Pi walked towards the gate and gated out of the area. He turned to stare for a moment longer before he received a dinging sound that notified a received short mail. He glanced at it expressionlessly before turning his full attention back to Atoli. As he reconsidered the words in the short mail, a very minimal sneer flickered on his face before it vanished altogether.

"I suppose even the God of Death plays a role in the great cycle." A smirk formed on his face as he considered this more deeply. "I wonder how he'll take it…when he finds out just how much of a puppet he is." And with his statements to himself finished, Sakaki of Moon Tree began to walk towards Atoli. And as he made his way to the Harvest Cleric that graced his division, a single bitter thought echoed in his head unhappily.

'_It was not AIDA at fault for your pain, dear and innocent Atoli…it was his…and his…'_

_**------ Delta Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field ------**_

"RENGEKI! WHIRLWIND!"

The final strike ripped through Matsu's body and hurled him across the room like a sack of potatoes, down into the tunnel that lead to the warp gate. He landed first on his neck before rolling and smashing his arm on a cliff. He was not ever aware that his bayonet had slipped from his grip and flew off the edge of the floor. That was the smallest of his concerns, however, as he realized he had a single point of health left.

"Your message is a simple one Matsu. You will tell Haseo that I will wait for him in the Holy Palace. You will tell him that I know the whereabouts of truth." He sheathed the two blades and grabbed Matsu by the throat firmly, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. "I know you will tell him, because I know you will hate me for this. This is not aimed to humble you; no…this is aimed to embarrass you. To spark the pride that you hold within you. And you know that if you lead Haseo to me…" He pulled out his bayonet, the Still Midnight, slowly and pressed it into Matsu' gut. "…that you will find me as well."

"Trust me…you'll see me again. And I swear, I'll be the last thing you see." Matsu spat.

"You know the path. Haseo is the key to the door that will bring you to me, and those words will send him on his way." He brought Matsu deadly close to him now, holding his mouth only a bare distance from his right ear. "Live your purpose well, Matsu of Moon Tree…so that you might experience a purposeful death." With that, he threw Matsu out in front of him, causing him to pass the Chaos Gate. Before he could say anything, Midnight Silencer claimed another victim. Both barrels fired at once and launched Matsu's dead corpse into the inky black infinity. And as Matsu plummeted, Reaper was almost ecstatic to see that, instead of frozen horror, there was scathing hatred on the face and in the eyes of Matsu.

Taking one final breath, Chaos Reaper turned his head to the ceiling and smiled. "Your move now." And with that, he warped out of the field.

_**------ Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground ------  
**_

By Haseo standards, it had taken him a moment too long to remove everyone that had been in there before. Some had protested that this place was open for any and everyone, but Haseo had proceeded to throw them out one by one. After a while, many of the gathered players simply decided to leave by their own free will. There was mumbling, grunting and some angry hand gestures, but for the masses were compliant with the rather unreasonable request.

Once the citadel was empty, Haseo turned his attention to the far end of the beautiful chapel. He was not yet staring at the letter that hovered there, but rather at the glowing sign along the side of it. The only marking of where Shino had once been before fading away into the abyss and becoming a Lost One. He pressed a palm against his head as the memories of that horrible day flashed through his head, burning themselves deeper into his mind.

"_Don't cry…Boys don't cry…"_

He gave his head as hard a shake as he could before beginning to walk towards the altar, his hands closed into tight fists. He reached out his hand as he walked towards the letter, almost as though he was trying to call it to him. It, of course, did not move so much as an inch, and even seemed to pull Haseo towards it rather than the opposite. It was not long at all before Haseo had the letter tightly gripped in his hand when he realized that no message popped up. He frowned at this before pulling the letter towards his chest. The 'item received' jingle filled the room as the letter flashed and then disappeared into Haseo's chest.

And then the room filled with a voice. Steady and stoic with a darkly powerful undertone to it that prevented people from simply ignoring it.

"**Haseo, Skeith, and the third...Find me and it will open. Open it and find the **_**truth**_**."**

"The truth…" Haseo muttered as he reviewed the words over in his head. He could still hear the words in his head, like they were being spoken again. "And what's this crap about 'the third'?" He grumbled before turning around. With a long sigh, Haseo began to walk away aggravated. Sure, he had got the letter that was left there, but all it did was trigger a nonsensical mystery note from a mystery voice. A thick frown formed on his face as he considered once more the voice's words before making his way out of the citadel.

"It's late, I'm tired, and stuff is not making any sense anymore. I'm logging off for the night." Haseo spoke to no one in particular. Moments later, he gated out of the field and logged out of the game.

"Slow slow…" A voice spoke from behind the altar, as he glanced up at the ceiling. A grin worked its way onto K1ngf1sh3r's mouth as new words formed. "…Then again, I suppose that slow is good right now. Still slow enough to plan, to watch, to wait and see…and to prepare for when everything is so very fast fast."

* * *

A/N: So, hope everyone enjoyed the dose of action they got. There will be more down the road, especially with the Holy Palace coming up relatively soon. Chapter five will see the formation of the team that Haseo and Alkaid will be a part of, and the name for it. They might not make it to the tournament if they kill each other over the name. 

Further more, from Chapter Five on, I am looking for a beta reader to sift through the mess of garbled mayhem that I call a chapter. If any are interested, all you need to do is PM me.


	5. Chapter 5: Ka no Akatsuki

**Insaneiac: Welcome back to chapter five. Did you miss me ladies and gentlemen? Now that Moon Tree's Matsu got his buttocks handed to him, it's time for the tables to start getting turned. Although, it seems as though everyone is a pawn in this game, most of all Haseo. And the players? A group of powerful PKers, a System Admin, and the mystery piece. **

_**Note to Shippers: Okay, let me go ahead and get it put out there for everyone to see. Pairings are important to a story, even this one, but let's get something straight. If Haseo and Alkaid are the main pairing, it's not going to be a main, glaring point to the story. I won't dedicate anything to needless fluff, or stop the actual plot to build on the coupling. That goes as well for any other potential Haseo pairing. I'm not, and you can quote me on this one, going to sacrifice the plot I've developed to make for some warm and fuzzy moments. Haseo is not that kind of person and any girl (or Endrance) unlucky enough to be involved romantically with him are going to have to live with that fact. Here's to hoping we understand each other well. I've said it before, and now I'll make sure it's stapled in here so everyone will understand.**_

**I will not damage a character's personality to make a pairing "cute", "comfy", "cuddly", or "fluffy". If you're here for romance, this is the drawn out, difficulties abound kind of romance.**

**Don't like it? Then ignore it. It's affect on the plot is, for the most part, going to be minimal. At least in Resemblance. **

**Who's to say for Volume 3?**

_**With that finally said, many of you already know what the pairing is. So allow me to potentially isolate half of my treasured reviewers and readers by removing the last bit of doubt. Yes, I plan on this being Haseo/Alkaid. It'll be a little deeper than that, and will eventually evolve into a mix of Alkaid/Haseo, Haseo/??? And ???/Alkaid…with the ??? being someone not yet revealed, but fundamental none the less. No, it's not an OC. Now, while I love Haseo/Alkaid to death (there are witnesses who will testify to this), I am an author. Even though this is a fanfiction and not my property, I am being entrusted with these characters. I hopefully have garnered enough respect from my readers to not have this choice in pairing diminish its appeal. Both Haseo and Alkaid are incredible products of an incredible fandom, and I would never do that harm.**_

Disclaimer: I do not own .hack in any of its versions and forms. Namco Bandai Studios do.

* * *

_I've been comatose once._

_I spent close to a year in one._

_I really wasn't aware of it at the time. I know there is a blank spot there, something that I never really remembered. My parents…they're divorced now…told me I was put into a coma after a horrible car crash. They said…I was a vegetable in every sense of the word. They had machines breathing for me and keeping me fed. There were machines to keep me clean and to keep me hydrated. And I remember nothing of the crash or…anything for a couple of years. My life has a big black stain in-between grade two to the end of grade four. Apparently the accident happen in my fourth grade, but the amnesia extended to a couple of years of my past._

_I could not remember anything. Friends I had made, crushes I might have had…I forgot about it all. Almost three years of my life…vanished. Nothing hurt as much as that thought._

_But I have dreams. In those dreams…I know it's me. _

_I'm either some freak with green hair that extends in front of my face, and a demeanor that is as cruel as it is ridiculous. The terror of many people._

_Or I'm some monumental grey behemoth that kills and kills…and not even the very Gods are immune to my wrath. A veritable avatar of death._

_I don't have names for either the person or the monster, but I have "feels". And this is what horrifies me the most._

_They feel like me. Like myself._

_These dreams end the same, always the same. Every time I wake up…the last thing I see in my dreams is a girl that I have either impaled on one of my katar-like blades, or on a red…staff or wand or something of the sort. A pristine child in a white dress with eyes that are both sorrowful and loving at the same time. She says something too, just before I wake up. Her lips move the same as always, but I never hear what she says._

_Until now. _

_**------------------------**_

_My vision is deep scarlet this time, meaning I'm the monster. I can see it exactly the same as before, with my staff's head stabbed into the floating girl's abdomen. I feel a seething anger washing over me as I growl in victory, aware of nothing other than my successful kill. But this anger is not mine. It's a foreign anger, even to the monster. I've just noticed this now, and it makes no sense. If I'm not angry, and if the monster's not angry, who is?_

_My eyes refocus themselves on the child, and I realize now that I feel nothing. To exist and not feel anything, even the weapon I hold in my hand, is an emptiness that chills my mind. And I see her lips move as her eyes close. My own eyes seem to open as widely as possible at the words, and I am only dimly aware of the fact that the weapon I have impaled her on has left my hand and worked its way through the rest of her body. It floats up into the air, with her suspended just in front of it with arms stretched along the prongs of the staff. I realize now that the weapon I carry has a crucifix that begins from inside the red circle and extends out from the same red circle._

_I hear her words only once more before the world goes black again. And for the first time, I realize that there is more to this than just a simple nightmare._

_"…I'll cry for you, Ryou…"_

_**------------**_

Ryou shoots up from his bed and, for a heart stopping moment, chokes as he tries to gasp in air. He's dimly aware that his entire body is trembling fiercely, and manages to get a breath in before his head lurches over to the side. He coughs a single time before vomiting his stomach contents onto the floor. After the initial spew, he gives several dry heaves as he tries to calm himself down long enough to retain the ability to breathe properly.

And then he screams so loudly, he believes he hears his own vocal cords rip themselves apart. He continues until his voice is completely gone, and then collapses back to his bed with his eyes tightly shut, breathing heavily. Silent tears slither out of his eyes as the words dig into his heart, replaying over and over again. His eyes reopen moments later and then open to their fullest as a pair of hands wrap themselves tightly around his throat and begin to squeeze with everything they have. In the darkness, the hands attached to arms, the arms to shoulders, the shoulders to a neck and the neck to a head. And on that head was one of the two faces of Ryou Misaki's dream personas. Bangs of emerald hair fell at the sides of Ryou's panicked ridden face as he choked and struggled desperately against the attacker. Their eyes met in the middle of the struggle, as Ryou stared into blood red, fury ridden eyes of what he had come to known as his dream self.

He wasn't resisting, wasn't fighting back. He was too stunned to do anything of that nature.

"You can't cry…I won't let you…You'll never cry." He growled as he tightened the hold further. "…and you'll kill her again…you will kill-" And in a heartbeat, the hands became stone like, and the strength increased by tenfold, causing a single squeal to escape Ryou's lips. When he could focus again, he was staring at the monster's face, a face that he still recognized as his own. "-**OUR AURA**!!!"

* * *

Chapter Five – Ka no Akatsuki/Dawn of Ka

* * *

This time, when Ryou Misaki awoke, his scream was the first thing to happen. He shot up with nearly enough momentum to toss himself across the room. His breathing became sporadic as his senses failed him. He already knew this was not a dream, simply by the way his throat began to burn after his scream. He lived alone most of the time so he was not worried about waking anyone up at all, and even if there had been other people in the house, he still would have been screaming like he had. He was used to the nightmares, use to the horrors that he caused as the two monsters. He was even use to the way that these monsters felt like him in the dreams.

They were resemblances. Like half reflections of ones self in the mirror.

However this time, the dream was more than what he had normally come to experience.

"…I'll cry for you, Ryou…" He muttered into the dark room as he pressed a palm to his forehead. "Who was that girl?" His nose flared as he detected the sent of vomit, the bile in particular. Despite there not being any to begin with not withstanding, he could still smell it. It made him want to vomit now.

_"Aura." _Ryou did not show any reaction to the sudden voice. He had come to know the owner of the voice well. _"Beautiful Aura." _ This was the first time, however, that the voice was speaking to him outside of the dreams he had. When the voice spoke again, it was both callous and falsely comforting. _"We hurt her…you hurt her. That's our destiny Ryou. We kill, and in the end, we kill our Aura too. Badump." _And with that, the voice disappeared. Ryou could feel it, no, him disappear from the area. Not fade, but simply vanish entirely. He waited for a long, nigh suffocating moment before giving his head a vicious shake.

"Ryou, you can't lose your mind now. Shino is depending on you. Shino and Atoli both need you." He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes tightly and opened them a few moments later. "Wait…Aura…"

_"She was called Aura." Shino spoke as she walked to the altar. The scene seemed to skip ahead, as she turned her head to Haseo and gazed at out from the corner of her eye. "…lost hope for this world."_

Ryou groaned before throwing himself back down on the bed. He was breathing heavier than usual as he began to realize what things like this meant. Psychological disorders brought on by varying amounts of stress was the most likely answer and, for the time being, the most optimistic one as well. The others were a lot less relieving, and for the sake of his already stressed mind, he spared himself those possibilities. He turned his head to look at his clock and sighed miserably. It was no more than three in the morning, meaning he had gotten all of a couple hours sleep. He turned his head back and let out another miserable sigh.

And after close to thirty minutes of staring at the ceiling of his room, he slipped into dreamless slumber.

_**------ Serpent of Lore, Several Hours Later ------**_

"So…what you're saying is…Moon Tree has been well aware of AIDA for some time now. And Epitaph Users." Kuhn stated as he rubbed the side of his face with his fingers with slight anxiety. "That's kind of scary."

"According to Sakaki, it's Zelkova who is able to get this information. Knowing that AIDA's are invisible to the naked eye, it means that Zelkova's PC is not a normal one." Pi ventured as she turned her eyes to Yata, who had been silence since Pi's announcement. "It's likely that Zelkova may be an Epitaph User himself, master Yata. Either that or…"

The aforementioned admin was floating on his pedestal, his left fan opened and covering half of his face as he tapped the other fan against the side of his leg. Anyone who knew the man would realize that his current stance was his 'thinking' stance. "Unknown variables always arise in situations like these. It's a common inevitability. We're not going to find any true information by simply guessing, so we will be utilizing what we currently have to our fullest use." Yata shut the fan sharply before opening up a video screen. "It's true that the private areas of Moon Tree's captains our off limits to simple logging tools, more complex ones may be able to gain access. Since you have become the closest thing to a liaison with Moon Tree, Pi, I'll leave it to you to set the logging devices up."

"Whoa!" Kuhn interjected, staring at Yata disbelieving. "Stop for a moment…you want to spy on our new allies? Isn't that the sort of thing that backfires horribly Yata?"

"True." Yata granted. It was obvious his position had not changed any. "However, it is a necessary evil. Since it is highly doubtable that Zelkova would agree to present logs of their own, it is up to us to monitor and track." He nodded at Pi once more before turning his attention to Kuhn. "Haseo will be competing in the Holy Palace tournament, as he and I both believe there to be a lead on the AIDA and, more importantly, Atoli's fragmented Epitaph. This leaves the general AIDA reconnaissance and extermination to you for the time being. When he can, Haseo will undoubtedly assist you, but he may be busy with the tournament in general."

"Wait…" Kuhn and Pi said at the same time, albeit the latter with a "master Yata" added to the end of it. After passing a very brief glance, it was decided that Kuhn would go first. "You're telling me, Yata, that you and Haseo actually _agreed_ on something?!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Pi added with a slight smirk. It was no secret that, out of the four of them, it was Haseo that was the most difficult and disagreeable. That went doubly so when it was him and Yata. The idea that they two could have come to an agreement on anything was not only astounding, but frankly quite unbelievable as well.

"Yes, that is precisely what I am saying." Yata paused for a moment before turning his head to Pi. "It's likely that Haseo will be contending with almost all of the Seven's Council in the Holy Palace, should there really be a lead on Atoli's broken epitaph. That may cause some difficulties if the Seven take it as opposition from an ally. This is why Haseo's direct involvement with Raven is not only to be forgotten, but denied as well. Any assistance you get from him will be considered as a friendly favor, not as official Raven business." Yata returned his head to the default position. "We have another problem as well…"

"Of course we do." Kuhn mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "What is it this time Yata?"

"It appears as though a band of players that won a contest some time back has become active. They've entered the Holy Palace Tournament as well." He waved his hand above the sphere and brought up a trio of screens. "They call themselves the 'Chaotic Triumvirate'. They're a band of PKers that have become recently become notorious for decimating a third of the Moon Tree Safe List, and for killing several veterans of Moon Tree, including the Seventh Division Captain, Matsu. They were the winners of a special, non-announced contest where they earned six points for creating Adept Rogue type characters as opposed to the normal four." On the screens appeared the character data for the aforementioned contest winners. Cero on the left most screen, K1ngf1sh3r on the right most, and Chaos Reaper on the central screen.

"When you say non-announced…" Kuhn began, turning his head to glance at Pi. A nod let him know that he was likely on the right path. "…there was no contest at all, was there?"

"Master Yata, what are you trying to say?"

Yata breathed out slowly before lifting his head up and glancing at the central screen, seemingly making eye contact with Chaos Reaper. "What I am saying is quite simple actually. These PCs are not normal. The contest was a cover-up by the administrative committee and thus, leaves us with yet another mystery to try and solve."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Kuhn let out a grumbling sigh. "And I suppose we _still_ don't know what this fractured Epitaph business means as well?"

"Indeed." Yata paused as he considered what he knew from what he did not. "It's too early to theorize on what it means. From what I gather though, AIDA has a fascination with the Epitaphs. However I can conclude that the fractured epitaph is the cause of Atoli's imprisonment." He turned around and away from the eyes of his subordinates and held his hand above the floating sphere. "Until we restore her Epitaph to its completed state, she will never be able to leave The World."

_**------Lumina Cloth------**_

"Where the HELL did you go yesterday?!" An irritated voice growled out. Normally a very loud place, Lumina Cloth had a little area where the noise seemed to die off. The perfect place to plan teams, plot victories, and yell at irresponsible friends and not-so-friends. Of which, one Alkaid was currently in the midst of. "I said I had something to take care of quickly and you drop off the face of the World?"

"Would you shut up!" Haseo grumbled in response. Alkaid and Haseo had both chosen a pillar to lean up against as they discussed their plans for the Arena, and neither was very fond of the other as it was. "I'm not going to explain myself to you, so you can drop the bitching and moaning already." He pretended to glance away arrogantly, and smirked when he caught her face contorting into a violent rage. "Can we get this over with already? We need a third team mate, then I'll sign us up and…"

"Wait a second. We agreed we'd both be the leader, so we both have to sign up." She reminded him. "As for a third team mate, why not the Harvest Cleric you te-"

"No." Haseo spoke fiercely. He then turned and locked eyes with Alkaid. "We're not involving Atoli at all." A rather annoyed grunt came from Alkaid as Haseo finished shutting her down.

"Frankly, she'd make the arena a helluva lot easier on us Haseo. She could ke-" This time Haseo slammed his hand into the wall beside him, an echoing thump silencing Alkaid as Haseo's demeanor turned darker.

"Alkaid, no. We can't and won't use her this time." Haseo said forebodingly before crossing his arms and breaking eye contact with his sole teammate. "I can't explain it to you, but it's not safe for her." Haseo's eyes shut as he waited for Alkaid to contend with him on the point. He was unsettled by the prolonged silence that followed his last statement, and was perplexed by the sigh that followed it.

"Fine. No Atoli. Who else then?" Haseo, albeit he would deny it from now until his dying day, smiled at Alkaid's willingness to move on. He had honestly expected a screaming and kicking match between the former Empress, and was more than happy to avoid one. "We could grab one of my sisters…or maybe that giant gold freak you team up with on occasion." Haseo went rigid at the second suggestion.

"No. No Piros. Not now, not ever." Haseo said deadpan, shuddering. "I don't care if he is a powerhouse, if I hear him yell "Your love makes me hot" one more time, I'm going impale myself on my own weapons." Haseo grunted agitatedly before continuing. "What about Silabus?"

"Forget him!" The voice was foreign and, for the most part, not involved in the conversation. Both Haseo and Alkaid had initially ignored it as some random conversation that got just a little too loud. "In all seriousness, if you're putting together a team around two melee fighters, you'll want some ranged support." While Alkaid was only now sure that the interfering voice was part of this conversation, Haseo had been able to identify it. His twisted his head upwards and glared at the figure standing on the ledge above them.

There was a saying in The World. 'For every Moon Tree member that goes down, there is always a readily available replacement'. For the uneducated, it meant what it sounded like. Moon Tree-ers were everywhere, and when one goes away another will show up. Hence, the disappearance of one Harvest Cleric…and the appearance of one Adept Rogue. Haseo would go so far as to call him an utter and complete annoyance, and Alkaid would lean to say he was just as bad as Haseo.

That PC was Matsu, the seventh division captain and the former infamous PKer, the Flame Sword Demon. "A steam gunner would be better, all things considered. Two for close combat and one for long range support is just as good as having a cleric to provide healing support. And, what do you know…I just so happen to have a steam gunner class. What a coincidence." Matsu added with a smirk.

"No." Haseo replied without hesitation.

"And why not?" Alkaid interjected, glaring at Haseo. "We're both in charge here, and Matsu was one of your better opponents during the Demon Palace. One you didn't need to _cheat_ against either." The emphasis on 'cheat' was clearly there to further annoy Haseo, which it was successful in.

"One, cut it out with the cheating crap already! Two, I'm not going to fight alongside one of Sakaki's elite kiss asses." Haseo grunted in return, ignoring the fact that Matsu had responded with his right middle finger. "It's too much like fighting alongside Sakaki himself for my own good."

"Oh, and lil miss Sakaki-fan is better? With her 'Oh Sakaki' swoons every thirteen steps?" Matsu retorted before stepping off the ledge and landing in-between Alkaid and Haseo. "And for the record, ass, I'm just as loyal to Lord Zelkova as I am to Sakaki. The difference is…I owe Sakaki." Alkaid blinked at this before realizing that she was going to be pushed out of the conversation. She sighed as Haseo pushed Matsu against the wall and growled angrily.

"Don't insult Atoli when you're around me. Do you understand?"

"Get your hands off me before I take them off." Matsu growled. "I'm not here to get into a pissing match with you Haseo. I'm here because I want in on the tournament. And considering you can't use Atoli, I'd say you're in a bit of a pickle for finding a third member." He spoke in a whisper, barely loud enough for Haseo to hear. His eyes narrowed as he understood what Matsu had said. "Besides…and this is exclusive to us three. I want revenge."

Alkaid blinked at the notion of hearing a Moon Tree captain craving revenge. "And you think we're your best ticket for it?" She took a couple steps forward before wrapping a hand around the back of Haseo's neck and prying him off of Matsu. She fed Haseo an angry glare and raised her fist as Haseo tried to go after Matsu again. Grunting, Haseo folded his arms over his chest and glanced away. "Why should we bother helping you get back at someone? I thought Moon Tree looks down on revenge."

"Hence why I said this doesn't leave us three." Matsu replied dully before leaning against the wall. "Fact of the matter is one of the teams in this Tournament is headed by the guy I need to get revenge on. He's called Chaos Reaper, and he leads the Chaotic Triumvirate." He sighed as he finished before glancing to the side. "I'm not even after him because of what he did to me anyways. I'm going for him because he's targeted Moon Tree's safe list. Do you have any idea what kind of message that sends?"

"I'm guessing a message saying how Moon Tree are a bunch of overrated pussies that talk big but fall flat on their egotistical faces." Haseo shot smugly.

"Say that again punk!" Matsu growled, albeit not completely out of defense. Haseo had hit the nail on the head. With a discontent grumble, Matsu settled back against the wall. "Normally, I'd rather sit through one of Hiiragi's speeches about how beautiful Sakaki is then team with a sadist like you, Haseo…but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and just assume you'd be a better ally than an enemy. I'd prefer to avoid fighting you in getting to Chaos Reaper."

"I still say no." Haseo clipped.

"I'm with Haseo on this one. I'm damn sure not going to be a tool for revenge." Alkaid added tersely.

"Okay, wait for a moment. First thing first, the Holy Palace is not some rookie stage. Fighting like lone wolves, which both of you are real guilty of, is going to get you crushed and embarrassed. And since I doubt that you two will have an epiphany in-between your lover spats, it will stay that way unless someone intervenes." Matsu was more amused by the reaction to 'lovers' than he was to anything else he had just said, and put on a bemused smirk as he watched a flushed Alkaid and a stuttering Haseo try to retort against it. "I, on the other hand, know how to be a member of a team as well as make one." He grinned at his own little ego stroke as he pointed at Haseo first, and then Alkaid. "And as difficult as it will be, I know I can make you two a team."

"You…are aware that after we win this tournament…I'm going to be kicking his ass right? How do you intend to make a team out of me and the cheating bastard here when we both know it will come down to that?"

"For once, I agree with the loud mouth pain in the ass." Haseo shot back, glaring at Alkaid. He was not surprised to see her glare back. A single chuckle managed to draw the attention back to the third party. "And just what's funny?"

Matsu shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, his face radiating an 'oh nothing' aura. His eyes clearly spoke differently though, something that annoyed both Haseo and Alkaid. "I won't beg. Fact of the matter is…my guild's, and by extension, Lord Zelkova's honor got trounced on by this guy. My reasons to enter this tournament go against almost everything I've agreed to since becoming part of Moon Tree. In a way, I'll be betraying both Lord Zelkova and Sakaki." There was no more cockiness in his voice. Matsu's tone had become serious and somber, hoping that every word carried. "And besides that…Haseo…he's looking for you too. He used our safe list as a way to call out someone with ties to you."

Haseo's eyes widened ever so slightly, and a newfound curiosity mixed with confusion settled in his red eyes. "So this Chaos guy has some business with me too." _'Maybe…maybe he's connected to AIDA…and to Atoli.'_ Haseo's thoughts seemed to reach his eyes, and Matsu nodded in response.

"Yah Haseo. I'm thinking the same thing." He did not bother with the shock that took to Haseo's form, nor the confusion in Alkaid's features now. "I'm more interested in taking this guy down, and down hard. I won't get in the way of the two of you after everything is said and done, but I damn sure want to be there when you and he meet Haseo. I've got a mean itching to shoot him in the face." _'Haseo's going to wonder how I know about Atoli and AIDA. That is my meal ticket right there.'_

There was an unsteady silence between the three as Matsu finished. During this silence, the former PKer had shut his eyes and decided to await the final decision, while Alkaid gave Matsu a quizzical once over before turning to Haseo. Her eyes had said what she would not, and Haseo gave an agreeing sound before turning his head to Matsu. _'This guy knows something. Alkaid seems okay with him, and that means she's waiting on me. If I say yes…Matsu officially becomes the third team mate. If I say no, Alkaid and I are going to wind up yelling at each other until either I agree, or she storms off.'_

"Alright. I'm okay with you becoming the third member." He said as indignantly as he could. "Order me around once though, and I'll kick your peace loving ass." Haseo growled at the end. He frowned when he saw Matsu laugh at this.

"Like I said, if you want to survive in the Holy Palace, you'll need to learn how to function as a unit. A team needs a leader, but it also needs to be a flawless machine as well."

"Whatever." Haseo muttered before turning to Alkaid. "I'll go sign us up now. I'll probably have to get special permission for the crap we're pulling, but I assume since I'm the Emperor, they'll make exceptions." Haseo managed one step before a hand latched onto his wrist and swung him around. He stumbled backwards until he hit the wall beside Matsu and came to an awkward halt. He had been ready to freak, but when he caught the rather malicious glare from Alkaid, his wrath was stowed.

"Now wait just a moment! I am not going to be caught dead as "Team Haseo". And we're both signing on as leaders, so don't you dare start trying to usurp control you cheater!" Her rather destructive glare found itself focused on Matsu next, who had become rather active at hearing the statement about two leaders. "And yah, that's what the terms are. Haseo and I are both acting as leaders for this team. After we beat…Sirius" She paused for a moment as she realized her voice was getting light, and was fast in picking back up. "…Haseo and I will be going one on one to find out who the _real_ Emperor is. Winner gets the Holy Palace," She paused to flash Haseo a very evil grin. It would rank as the fourth most chilling thing he will ever seen in his life, "among other little things as well. The loser becomes the Demon Palace Emperor."

"Haseo…" Matsu started, glancing from out of the corner of his eye to his newfound teammate. "I'm not sure I've said this lately, but you're an idiot."

Ignoring the comment from Matsu, Haseo turned his head away from Alkaid and let out a huff. "Alright then, what are we called then? And it better be good dammit."

There was no response for a length of time as Alkaid ran through the possibilities in her head. Haseo and Matsu spared a quick glance to one another before turning back to the volatile Twin Blade. Haseo was just about to shake her back into reality when she snapped her fingers and put on a very pleased smile. "We'll call ourselves Ka no Akatsuki." Her eyes beamed with pride as she spoke the name happily. She was not aware of a rather crest fallen Haseo and a dimly blinking Matsu rubbing the back of his head.

"That…" Haseo began as his left eye began to twitch. "…What the hell is that?"

"I get that Akatsuki means Dawn…but the hell is Ka supposed to be?"

She had been betting on the two of them not catching the last part. After all, not everyone had a taste for western fiction. "I actually picked Ka from a series of books I read. Ka refers to…well…" Unfortunately, she was not too sure how to describe just what Ka was. After all, it was never really clearly defined in the book series as any one thing. "It's…" She paused, rubbing the back of her head agitatedly. "It's the strongest force. It's like fate, inevitability, destiny, journeys, troubles and divine powers all mixed into one. Best thing that can describe it is a sheer force beyond all others. That's us." She grinned proudly as she finished the description.

Haseo had initially been prepared to scoff at Alkaid's choice for a name, but after hearing about what it meant, he could not help but like it. "So, literally it means 'dawn of a force". It has a ring to it." Haseo had expected her to be smug about his acceptance of the name, but instead he saw genuine happiness. _'God you're weird. From a butch to something barely resembling a woman.'_

"Ka no Akatsuki it is then." Matsu grinned. "These are for you guys, of course." He added as he delivered his member addresses to both Haseo and Alkaid. "Tomorrow, I'll whip you pansies into something resembling a team." He started off but was stopped by a glance from Haseo. _'Knew it was coming.'_

"Hey Alkaid…go up first. I'll catch up. I want to ask Matsu something." Haseo spoke without actually glancing at Alkaid. She paused for a moment before nodding and walking off. As soon as she turned the corner, Haseo's glance turned into a pair of hands grabbing Matsu by the neck and slamming him into the wall. The two Adept Rogues glared furiously at one another, staying silent for a good bit before even so much as a noisy breath escaped either of them. "What. Do. You. Know?" Haseo spoke each word slowly and forcefully, his hands not relaxing from their current grip on Matsu's throat.

"Everything." He replied curtly, bringing a hand up and palming Haseo in the face. The white haired player stumbled backwards and off of the Moon Tree guild member. "Like how Atoli can't log out of the world. Trust me Haseo, I know everything. Right down to how this tournament has something to do with her _epitaph_. And I also know that most of this is _your fault._" He made sure to give the final words a very powerful emphasis. "I had two reasons in coming here. You know the first, and the second was to keep Atoli away from this tournament. Purely out of concern for her own safety Haseo. But that is where my concern for her ends." He turned away and began to walk towards the stairs before being stopped by Haseo one last time.

_**------ Nearby but out of Sight ------**_

Alkaid stood silently, eyes open widely. She could hear the two easily enough, and what they were saying was frightening.

But it could not be true, or possible. How can someone not log out of a game? But she could not discount it. Just listening to Haseo was more than enough proof for her. While he was usually humorless and serious about almost everything, there was a deathly seriousness in his voice now. And while Alkaid was no stranger to death, this was much more different.

Haseo was terrifying.

"Epitaph?" She muttered aloud, eyebrows lifting in confusion. And then she turned around and began to walk away, back to the desk. "So…is that all I am then? A means to an end?" She growled angrily as this though seemed to roll through her mind over and over again.

This was something she would not simply let stand. She would wait until things were less hectic, but she would confront him about it. And if need be, she could still kick the ever-cocky crap out of him until he started talking.

_**------ Matsu and Haseo ------**_

"You're refusing to help Atoli?" Haseo growled. It did not help his mood any when Matsu nodded.

"I'm not one of Sakaki's ass kissers, as you so pleasantly put. I owe him, but that's it. He's far too protective of Atoli for my caring, and I can't say I care for her much at all." Matsu then brushed Haseo's hand off his shoulder and continued on. "But don't take that the wrong way. She's a part of Moon Tree. She's one of us. If you think you can help her, you better make sure you do. Other wise I'll make sure your life becomes a living hell." Matsu whipped his arm back towards Haseo, extending his index and middle fingers to form a mock gun. He pretended to fire it before logging out of the world altogether, and leaving a rather stunned Haseo standing all alone.

The hustle and bustle suddenly seemed to become louder than it was before, and Haseo found himself snapped back to reality. "So…Matsu knows about AIDA…and the Epitaphs…and Atoli." He let out a very unamused growl before walking towards the arena desk. "Stupid self absorbed jerk. I'm going to beat him into the floor if he holds me back in the arena." Feeling content now that he had belittled the main source of his poor mood, Haseo reached the top of the stairs and spotted Alkaid at the front desk for the arena, waving at him impatiently.

"Now that you two are done making out, can we please finish here?" Alkaid taunted. A loud laugh was added as Haseo glared bullets at her. With that done, the two turned to the lobby desk and interacted with the NPC. They stated their case easily enough, explaining what would happen and what the general outline was for team Ka no Akatsuki. When they were finished, the NPC did not seem to change at all before bowing deeply.

"Your request is happily denied." A voice, gruff and unamused, said behind them. Both Haseo and Alkaid turned with indignant faces to tell off the newcomer, unaware of just who it was. When they fully saw the individual's face, or masked face, they were both aware that they were in the presence of an Admin. Not just an admin, but the Arena System Administrator. He wasn't too remarkable, as he was just like all other admins (minus Pi and Yata).

"For what reason?!" Haseo yelled. They were both stopped in their telling off, but that did not mean they would lie down and take it. Alkaid, however, had just become aware of how very quiet it had gotten. Not even footsteps seemed to resonate around them. She tore her eyes from the admin and glanced around the area. The rest of the crowd was frozen in place. Not practically, but exactly. Mid step, in jump, while laughing, it did not matter. They were all frozen in spot. No one else would here or see this conversation.

"This world is founded on rules, and as such, those rules will be followed. There is no room for negotiations on this."

"Tough shit!" Haseo growled out, surprising Alkaid (visibly) and the admin (though, not so visibly) with his defiance. "Bend the rules then! You're an admin aren't you?"

"Don't be an idiot." The admin replied tersely. "Rules are not to be questioned."

"Come on. We're both Emperors of the Red Demon Palace, and huge fan favorites." Alkaid added, interrupting a rather unamused Haseo. "It'll attract a huge amount of attention to the tournament. You're liable to benefit from that, right?"

There was a short silence that followed, and not one of the hope inspiring kind. "I don't believe I left any room for interpretation in my words, which means you two are being belligerent. Ergo, you will, both of you, suffer a three month long suspension from the world." The admin said at long last, eliciting both gasps and back steps from the two PCs.

"Now, now, now…" A fourth voice, one different from everyone else, interrupted the rather disastrous scene. As eyes shifted to the newcomer, the man tipped his shades onto his nose and grinned wryly at the three. It was the rather obnoxious looking game show host character, with his expensive looking suit and shades and tie in shades of white and silver. In a few long strides, he already had one arm wrapped around Haseo's shoulders and the other around Alkaid's. "Hasty much, my good sire? After all, the ball has only just been put into play. Can't call it a game without there being a few minutes of fun, right? Back and forths, turnabouts, fouls and the kind."

The response was simple, fast, and all three said it on the same note. "Who the hell are you?!" The admin, as usual, was completely unreadable in his posture. Haseo and Alkaid, however, were busy giving this individual looks reserved for insane homeless people…or Piros. And the both of them were more than uncomfortable with his presence.

The white suited male, however, simply smiled and nodded. "Why, I'm Mr. and Mrs. Death's agent." His grin, if anything, widened as he felt both his charges go rigid. He swung his head first to Alkaid, making sure he was making eye contact even if she was not sure she was. "Name's the Agent." Then he swung his head in much the same way to Haseo. "Name's the Agent." And finally, he swung his head back to the admin, grinning even wider. "Name's the Agent."

* * *

A/N: For all you people that put up with my long time coming chapter, I owe you all a treat. Seriously. I'll find some way to give fan service in the next chapter. Let me know what you might want for fan service in your review.

Okay, the name comes from two fronts. Alkaid's original team name and the seven book series The Dark Tower, of which Chika and I are huge fans of. Hopefully the translation is right. If it's not, I'm sure you'll tell me. Also, the Agent is going to have a bit of a basis (in his personality at least) from the Tenth Doctor of Doctor Who fame. Hell, his name even changed to meet that slightly.

Once again, thank you all so much for your patience while I put this one together. And yes, for you people counting, the Agent is the last of the OCs that are in a major role. You can sleep easy again.


End file.
